Little Girls and Boys
by The Infamous Fly
Summary: Chara meets another disturbed child with violent fantasies. Isaac meets a new friend. Takes place with all the monsters as human beings living in the modern world. Later chapters will be rated M (and noted as such) for violence and extremely mature content. The art belongs to breadmeat531 on Reddit.
1. Chapter 1

_**The artist of the cover photo is breadmeat531 on Reddit.**_

 _ **Later chapters will be rated M.**_

* * *

 **1**

Chara hated this place. The receptionist was a snotty stick of a woman. The air smelled fake. And worst of all, it was chilly as ice.

Oh also that she would have to have to talk about her "feelings."

The nine-year-old pulled her sweater closer to her body and leaned back and forth in her seat, sulking. She wouldn't be here if Asriel had kept his mouth shut. But no, he couldn't say that her attempted suicide was an accident. He had gone running to his mommy and daddy, like a wimp. Of course when Chara thought of her adoptive brother, of the look on his face when he tried to stop her from eating the poison, she couldn't stay mad at him. Truth be told she was happy to be alive.

Still...did he HAVE to tell their parents that it hadn't been a mistake? Now she had to go to therapy every week. She didn't want to tell some quack about her real father or her real mother. She didn't want to talk about the nightmares which drove her towards suicide. All she wanted to do was pretend that it all didn't happen, and take her pills.

The girl crossed her arms and tried to amuse herself by imagining ways to get back at her mother for sending her here. Just as she had alphabetically reached "guillotine" a couple of other adults entered the waiting room. Toriel had told her not to approach the other children, for fear that her child might be scared by the other loonies. But she was currently at work, and she had dropped Chara off here since Doctor Gaster was a friend of the family's and would "take care of her." Of course by taking care of her, the old man meant "I'll tell my secretary not to let her wonder out of this room." The woman didn't really care about anything other than being a warden, however. So as a result, Chara had no one to tell her not to approach the newest arrival to the waiting room.

He was a crazy just like her, otherwise, he wouldn't be here. But that's not what attracted her attention. He looked couple years older than her, yet still was half a foot shorter. He was dressed in a dark brown coat, with a bright red cap adorning his bald scalp. When he glanced up at the clock, Chara saw that he had the biggest eyes she had ever seen. To make it even stranger, his eyes were almost totally black, with blue running around the edge of the iris. His nose nearly disappeared into his face, and scars cradled his lips.

He sat crisscross on the floor and started drawing in his pad while the couple who had brought him here (clearly rich like her own parents, or they would not be able to afford W. D.'s expertise), chatted. The man wore a leather jacket and a fedora. The woman wore enough jewelry to feed a small country and her blonde hair spray that was probably tested on animals. They were not married judging by how they flirted and giggled like a couple of naughty teenagers.

But it was not the fact that the boy was dressed quite modestly compared to the other children she had seen come and go from the office. Or that he was drawing and humming to himself like a toddler. It wasn't that he looked scared to death when the door opened and the blonde with pigtails that Chara had watched play on her phone, exited the office. It wasn't that he looked at her like she was the angel of death.

Or even that, despite being ten or nine, he was completely bald.

It was the scar tissue in the shape of an upside down cross which lay upon his forehead.

"Excuse me?"

He looked up like a rabbit caught and raised his hands in defense. "I-I-I-p-p-please I...d-don't-"

"Hey! Calm down." He was on the brink of tears. The adults who had brought him were glaring daggers.

Chara tried her best to smile, finding if strange that the tears of this kid affected her, even though the tears she had forced out of Asriel's tormentors at the boarding school had not.

"I just wanted to know what you are drawing…"

He quivered. The he raised the pad, as though humbly raising a sacrifice. "It-it's not very good…"

She stared down at the drawing of a child with coins for eyes, fighting a gigantic gory worm, with a skinless head. The child was throwing a bomb with the universal symbol for death marked upon it. A sick smile crawled up her face, and she looked back down at the boy, who was confused by her reaction. She shoved the pad back into his arms and curled up beside him.

"Make another one."

He blinked several times, searching her face for insincerity. His caretakers looked ready to yank her away from their child as she gave the gesture to continue. But the boy smiled at the praise and began to sketch. Chara expected him to ask her name, or give his own. But all he did was sketch quietly.

She shoved her hand into his face. "My name is Chara, what's yours?" He looked at the hand as though no one had ever offered to shake his before. But he took it and shook it lightly. "I-uh-I'm…I-my name is Isaac Joseph Hart."

But he shook it lightly to stop the moment from becoming awkward. "I-uh-I'm…I-my name is Isaac Joseph Hart."

He said it like he had stepped out of the 1950's, so she half expected him to tip his baseball cap. Chara frowned when he pulled away with a red face. The physical interaction was clearly not his thing. But she remained quiet until he had finished his newest drawing. A smile replaced her patient expression as he showed her a new picture. It depicted a child resembling him wearing an eye patch, standing naked. The child was revering the head of some beast by holding it over his own, and four streams of blood red light poured out of the creature's head in the cardinal directions.

"Woah! What is that thing?"

Isaac beamed at the chance to share his morbid obsession. "It's the head of the Krampus...a German creature which drags off naughty children on Christmas Eve..."

Chara's smile grew exponentially. "Awesome!"

Isaac was about to say something else when the receptionist spoke up. "Chara Dreemur? Dr. Gaster will see you now."

Chara cursed under her breath and gave the boy one last smile. "It was great seeing you...maybe I'll see you on my next visit."

He tried to smile but looked crushed to see her go. The nine-year-old smiled and kissed him on the cheek.

"Good luck with your drawings!" She called out as she bounded towards the office.

Isaac watched her go with wide eyes. He rubbed the spot on his cheek and felt something bubble just below the surface. _What's got you so worked up?_ Asked Cain.

Isaac smiled and spoke aloud to the voice in his head. "I think I just met an angel…"

 **(0)**

Chara was anxious.

She did not remember the last time she was this anxious, but right now butterflies were batting about within her stomach. For the last week, she had struggled to keep Isaac out of her head. She couldn't help it, he was so different from anyone else she had met. The whole week she had researched the Krampus, hoping to share some information with him. Asriel had asked her why she had been doing so much studying. Her only response was for him to shut up.

Now she waited, with Toriel eyeing her movements curiously. When the boy entered, his father no longer hosting the fake blonde at his right arm, Chara jumped out of her seat. He spotted her and looked incredibly relieved.

After talking for a little bit, Chara was once again called into the office. The session with Gaster didn't seem as bad as last time, with her more anxious to get it over with than bored. Gaster seemed happy that she was more complacent than last time.

Finally, when it was time to leave, she actually thanked him. It was strange. Something about Isaac made her feel giddier than usual. Toriel approached her after she watched him get called into the office.

"I see that you've made a friend." Sensing smugness in the voice, Chara folded her arms.

"Mom, this isn't going to turn into one of those things where you start giggling because you think that I have a crush on somebody. We're just _friends, okay?_ "

She giggled. "Well, would you like to invite him over?"

Chara's eyes widened. "We can…we can do that?"

Toriel laughed harder, "Of course we can sweetie! As long as his father is alright with it."

Isaac exited in time to nearly be knocked over by the over-enthusiastic Chara. His face went through a number of emotions as she explained the plan to him and he glanced at her mother with what looked like fear.

She took his hand and promised that it would be alright. He shuddered a little bit and then nodded. "Sh-sh-sure…okay…great…"

She could tell that he was still teetering on the verge of dread, but knew that they would have a great time. The scarred boy would never be happy if she did not rope him into this. Not to mention, that she had waited all week for this and was not about to let him go regardless of his crushing anxiety.

When asked, his father was, in fact, fine with it. "As long as I can tag along!" He asserted with a wink towards Toriel.

Chara wondered if he would try to flirt with her, and considered how awesome it would be if her father knocked him out. It wouldn't happen, though, as her father was a big softie despite his massive stature. She didn't mention this to Isaac, as he seemed to be hyperventilating.

She was about to reassure him again when she noticed that he was murmuring to himself. "Isaac, what was that?"

He shook his head, sweat pouring down his brow. "N-Nothing…I just…talk to myself sometimes"

Smiling, she pulled him towards their parents and told her mother that they were ready to go. Toriel leaned down towards Isaac, and the older boy tried to hide behind the smiling Chara.

"And what's your name little one?"

He stuttered and blanched, struggling to find the correct words. Chara wondered why he was so afraid. He had been nervous when she had first greeted him, but he had not been falling apart at the seams. Her mother taller than most people it was true, but she still had a very comforting air about her. It piqued her morbid interest.

She spoke for him with a bit of a forced smile but felt her heart flutter when he gave her a thankful look. "His name is Isaac. Sorry, he's very nervous around new people."

Toriel nodded sympathetically, and Chara wondered what it was like to care so much about everyone. "Well, hopefully, you and my son will hit it off. How old are you?"

She was clearly prompting him to talk, and he gulped before stuttering out "Tw-Twelve as of last June, Ma'am."

Chara was surprised, he was short and young looking for his age. Toriel reflected the same emotion as her daughter but smiled at his southern politeness.

"Well I'll have to remember your birthday my dear, I have a feeling that you and Chara are going to be friends for a very long time."

His father began asking her about her son, a subject which she could speak for hours upon, as they moved towards the parking lot. Chara asked if Isaac could come in their car, and Toriel said it was fine as long as he did not have any allergies. She asked if it was fine with him. He looked nervous at being anywhere new but nodded.

"Sh-sure…it will give me a chance to show C-Chara my n-new drawings." He raised his notebook lightly and held it to his chest like a man on a sinking ship might clutch a bible.

Chara leaned towards him and warned that her mother would talk his ear off, and he looked ready to laugh. However, he stopped himself and straightened up a bit as though he would be punished if he did not show the utmost respect for adults. His father reminded him that he should take a pill before they leave, and the twelve-year-old nodded solemnly.

Chara watched with intent as he downed a couple of blue pills and washed them down. She wondered if he came to Gaster for his self-worth issues, or if it was just a side effect of something else. His father had enough money to get plastic surgery to cover up his scar, but he must not have wanted it. Which meant that the upside-down cross was to the cause of his therapy sessions. He was clearly not the child of his father, with different eyes, different facial structure, and a completely different accent.

Although Chara had the empathy of a prowling tiger, she had more insight than most people. And even without the physical and vocal differences, it was clear that this man was not Isaac's birth father. Like her he was adopted. Upon this realization, she grew a little extra respect for the playboy. There weren't many people who would adopt a kid like Isaac, if not just because of his strange and disturbing appearance, but also for his broken personality. Something was psychologically wrong with the child.

And right now Chara was inflamed to find out what.

* * *

 _ **No promise to finish this story, just so you guys know. It's more of an experiment than anything else.**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**WARNING: Rated M for mature themes and the use of a slur (the views of the characters do not represent my own ;] ).**_

* * *

 **2**

The two of them sat side by side in the back of the limo, with Toriel exchanging corny jokes with one of their chauffeurs. The man glanced once at his new passenger and Chara noticed how he peered at Isaac like an assassin in disguise. Then the man returned to his laidback, silly persona. Chara had figured out a year ago why her father had hired Sans. As the president of a small nation, her father had a lot of political enemies.

Sans made corny jokes and enjoyed annoying Asriel. He slept in the car frequently and got ketchup all over the seat. Until last year, she hadn't known why her father put up with him. But upon a little background research, she had discovered that he had a lengthy background as a mercenary. He knew judo, and constantly carried a mini-hand gun, which packed the punch of a cannon. He was the perfect cover, able to slip in and out of crowds perfectly. On some level, she had to admire just how good of an actor he was. He had only ever broken form once, it was the time that a fight had broken out on the street. His eyes had narrowed, his dark pupils turning into pools of blackness as the silly grin on his face all of a sudden looked much more threatening.

Why he was suspicious of a twelve-year-old, she knew not. Isaac even seemed scared of him. She asked him about his drawings in an attempt to calm him. He explained to her some of the characters on the first page of his notebook. He had a myriad of strange and morose characters, each resembling him but with slight differences. They all had different personalities, but Isaac described them morel like they were his friends than imaginaries of his own creation.

He had just gone into a description of the man wearing a fez when they reached her house. Isaac stared at the mansion in awe and mumbled something about it being a Temple to Avarice. Chara gave him a strange look but understood why he was so impressed. The mansion looked more like a castle than anything out of the twenty-first century.

As they piled out, Isaac asked what her parents did for a living. "My dad is basically the king of a small eastern-European country, he's constantly flying around so we have multiple houses all over the place. C'mon, you're going to love my room!"

She dragged him up the stairs, and Sans held the door for them with a friendly smile. "be careful kiddos."

Again his eyes glinted dangerously, and she wondered just how much he knew. Had he researched Isaac in preparation for this? He pretended not to take his job seriously, but he had no doubt overheard her conversations about the traumatized youth with Asriel. He did, after all, drive them pretty much everywhere. Why would he care, though? What was he hiding?

She cast the intrigue from her mind and pulled Isaac upstairs. Asry was not home yet, and there would be plenty of time for introductions later.

 **(0)**

"So, do you want to play Super Mario?"

Isaac was sitting on her bed, keeping completely still so as not to touch anything. He looked shocked at how messy her room was, and would occasionally glance at one of the posters. One was of a tyrannosaurus rex, and another depicted the Spartan army.

"I-um, I don't know how to play…"

She looked up at him from the TV which she and Asriel shared, and gaped at him like he had grown a second head. "What do you mean? How can you _not_ know how to play Super Mario?"

He kept his eyes on his lap. "Mom said that video games were sinful. That they were the devil's work."

Chara stood up and moved to his side. Even her parents, horrible people they were, had not restricted her from doing. She hesitated, and then placed a hand upon his shoulder.

"I'm sorry dude, I-I didn't umm…I should have thought before I spoke."  
He shook his head. "It's not your fault that I'm a freak." He rubbed his nose and sniffled. "The only game I ever played was this one arcade game at a restaurant…Mom punished me for indulging."

She reached out and took his hand. "You're not a freak."

He glanced at her, and the huge scar on his head disagreed for him. Chara sighed and then pulled him to his feet. "C'mon, I'll teach you."

Initially, Isaac looked afraid of the controller, but once she had taught him what each button did he warmed up to the concept. After a few minutes of practice, she suggested that they start a game. Strangely enough, he wasn't as bad at the game as expected. Had she been playing with her brother, Chara would have crushed him. She loved the feeling of victory in any game, no matter how insignificant.

But seeing him smile felt so good, that she allowed him to win the first two games. She wasn't a pushover, though, so she crushed him in the third game. His face didn't fall as expected, in fact, she could see a glint of competitiveness in his eyes.

She stood up, and he inspected the name sticker upon the controller. "Who is 'Asry'?"

She smiled. "My brother. You'll love him, he's pretty friendly. I'm gonna get us some snacks okay?"

Isaac nodded as she left and stammered out "Th-Thank you…"

Rolling her eyes at his politeness, the nine-year-old skipped downstairs. She stopped at the last step, detecting the voices of her mother and Isaac's father. They were discussing his "condition." She slowed her progress to a crawl and circled down the hall. The kitchen had two entrances, with one from the dining hall, and another from the lounge. She crept to the back of the hall and hid behind the counter as her mother sipped tea and Isaac's father (apparently named Henry) spoke with a candid weariness.

"Well it hasn't been easy…he's got three siblings…and none of them get along too well with him. But that's what happens when you adopt so many traumatized children."

She could practically see the look in Toriel's eyes. "How umm, how does he hold up in school?"  
"Oh…you know…he keeps to himself. Kids pick on him…" Chara felt her resentment towards the human race increase in intensity. "…but nothing physical. Strange as it sounds, that scar of his has made bullies afraid enough that they just keep their distance and laugh at how much he cries."

"Oh dear…"  
"Hey, I know that look. The day before my girlfriend asked why we didn't cover up the scar with makeup or plastic surgery, or something like that."

Toriel sipped. "And?"

"Well uh…the scar actually makes him feel…better." Chara narrowed her eyes. "I know how ridiculous it sounds. But according to all the therapists, and all the specialists which I've been to…he genuinely feels better about himself with that scar on."

Toriel was silent as he continued. "His mother made him feel like shit for years. The scar…it's his repentance. Makes him feel honest…"

He sighed like a man tired beyond his years, and Chara wondered just how horrible Isaac's parents had been. "I don't know…some days I think that he'll never…never get better…"

The door opened, and Chara heard Asriel's voice. She peeked over the counter and saw that Undyne was beside him. He looked ticked off that a bodyguard had to take him to and fro school, but more confused as to who Isaac's father was.

"Uh mom…who is this?"  
Chara slipped in as Toriel explained, and filled a bowl with chips. Henry glanced at her and smiled. "Are you two having fun up there?"

She gave despondent nod while Asriel trekked up the stairs, and Undyne reached down to ruffle her hair. "Hey Char, how's it going?"

The guard sounded her usual, enthusiastic self. Unlike everyone else, Undyne hadn't walked on egg shells around Chara ever since the girl's attempted suicide. The guard remained unphased by what made others weak, concentrating on her job. On some level, the nine-year-old had to respect that.

"Eh, not much." She offered the bowl and the tall woman grabbed a couple.

Toriel glanced towards her. "Honey…are you two alright up there?"

Chara nodded, easily pretending that she had not just overheard the disturbing conversation. She moved a little bit slower than normal, her mind filled with possibilities. The thought of Isaac hating himself this much sickened her. She wanted to stop it. She wanted to fix him.

Somewhere inside him was something very much worth salvaging. She could sense some level of strength and ambition below the surface. It was begging to be pulled to the surface, to be allowed to breathe.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

Asriel's scream caused her to bolt towards the door. Isaac ran out of the room, glancing once at her with teary eyes. She was about to speak, but he sprinted towards the bathroom and slammed the door shut.

Toriel called up with notable concern in her voice. "Is something wrong?"

Asriel poked his head out of the room, and was about to speak, but Chara rose a finger to silence him. She turned back towards the bottom of the stairs and saw that Toriel had come to the base of the steps. "Yeah, we're fine. There was just a little scare."  
The concerned mother frowned, but Chara's face was such a picture of innocence, that she sighed and told them not to be so loud. Chara turned towards Asriel and brought him into the room.  
"Okay, _what happened?_ "  
He folded his arms, "I came in here, and found him holding your underwear."  
Chara tried to keep herself from looking shocked. "Okay…"

"Why would you invite someone like that into our room?"

Chara sighed, "He's…different. But he's…really uh, sensitive. You didn't have to yell at him."  
Asriel looked unimpressed. "He's creepy Chara. He doesn't belong here, especially if he's going to do freaky stuff like sniff your underwear."  
"Ugggh. Okay, listen. I'm going to go handle this, you need to promise that you aren't going to tell anyone."

"But Cha-"

"ASRIEL. Just…do as I say." She gave him a seething look, and he gulped, before nodding.

 **(0)**

Isaac slammed his fists against his bald head. _STUPIDUGLYEVILLICENTIOUSSCUM. UNWORTHY OF THIS MORTAL PLANE._ Tears rolled down his face as the insults repeated over and over, each word spoken in the screeching voice of his mother. _This is what we get,_ insisted Eve, _no matter how many times we kill her, she always comes back. Why? Because we have desecrated the sacrifice of our lord and savior. This is our punishment._

He needed to do another run. He needed his pad and paper. He needed to Cain, Maggy, or Judas right now. He needed to be anyone but himself, anywhere but right here.

She knocked on the door. He knew that it was her knocking because _they_ told him. Shuddering, he tried to conceal his sobs. His father had left him to suffer because he was a crybaby and a tranny (whatever that was) and this girl would do the same. _May as well get this over with_ , insisted Cain. Every inch of him wanted to stay within the confines of the bathroom. Even though it was "new place" and he hated "new places", it was better than confronting this girl and listening to how disgusted she was with him.

 _She would have learned eventually that we were wrong in the head. It's our fault for ever thinking that there was an escape from how wrong we are._ Judas was quietly despondent as always. He was currently pushing Isaac towards taking a razor from the cabinet and mutilating himself, rather than answering Chara's knocks.

"Isaac, if you don't open this door, then I'll tell your dad."  
The boy leaped to his feet and unlocked the door. He stepped back in terror, hands over head as though she were about to beat him up. She only sighed and told him to uncover his face. He looked up in time to see her lock the door.

"Listen, Isaac…I really want to be your friend…but I can't do that if you do stuff like this."

He straightened and did not interrupt as she touched his shoulder. "I understand that at your age…you get all these weird hormones…"

He shook his head and she stopped. "I…I didn't do it…because I am umm, attracted to you…I did it because I like…women's stuff."

She peered at him, not grasping his meaning. Isaac stared at the floor in utmost shame. "I-I mean that I…like to wear them…sometimes…"

Chara tilted her head while Isaac's face turned scarlet and he began apologizing in a very small voice. Then Chara burst out laughing. He stared at her in utter confusion and wondered why she found this so funny.

Rubbing her eye, she grinned at his crouched form. "Man, you are just FULL of surprises."

He blushed and tried to concentrate on his lap. Chara took his hand and brought him to a stand. "I don't care about any of that stuff okay. All you have to promise me is that you won't do something freaky like what you just did…"

Again he cast his eyes to the floor, but she pushed his chin up so that she could look him in the eye. "…unless I can tag along."

Isaac froze in shock, and slowly a shy grin spread across his face. Then surprised her by bolting forward and giving a hug. Chara stared down at his form, surprised that he had initiated physical contact. When he pulled away, she actually felt herself missing his warm little form.

He gave her an exceedingly cute smile, but it dropped in seconds. "Y-your brother…"

"He isn't going to tell anyone," She assured smugly.

Isaac let out a deep exhale and smiled at her with downcast eyes. "It…It's been a really long time since I've made a…a real fr-friend. I really…I r-really want to thank you for…doing this for me after I messed up."

She shrugged and unlocked the door. "I'm sure I can find some way for you to pay me back…"

* * *

 _Guest_ **: _I think that the song by Creature Feature called "Such Horrible Things" adequately represents all the terrible things which are going to happen when the Anti-Christ and The Fallen Angel get together to have some_ REAL _fun._**

 _StolenBook_ : **_Thank you! I'm glad you think this is a unique idea. That's what I strive for._**


	3. Chapter 3

**_Thank you so much, everyone, for the attention thrown at this project. :)_**

 _ **Rated M for language, violence, and disturbing themes.** _

* * *

**3**

Samson roared, his tears burning against the Black Maws which charged towards them. Chara stood by his side, slashing her dagger through the demons, and laughing with each that corpse that fell. Samson launched a bomb towards their enemies and she clapped like a toddler showing their appreciation for the Fourth of July. Bits of rock flung all about as the explosion rocked the world. She ran over, collecting every coin with greed and pride emanating.

The door opened and Samson grunted for her to stop mucking about and follow. An attack fly circled his form, buzzing in a fashion that dulled the senses and made him feel empty. His muscles had been enhanced by the magic mushroom he had eaten. He didn't know why, but Chara seemed just like him. She got more powerful with every creature she killed. Except her power never wore off. She was a god of the battling arts.

She turned towards him and nodded. As they passed into the final room, Chara began laughing. She had been waiting for this so very long.

From the depths of the universe, came The Lamb. Its horns gleamed in the ambient light, its skull cracked with eons of unlife. Its skin was black as the ash of a battlefield, torn apart by crusaders on a holy mission. It whispered to him. It whispered about how horrible he was. About how he would never escape its sacrifice. The mark of His Sacrifice was carved into its skull, a grim reflection of what Isaac had down. Except it had been carved upside down. Just like his own scar, it was a perversion of all that was good and holy. Ancient wisdom malignant intent. Something beautiful now turned rotten to the core. Chara wouldn't stop laughing.

Chara couldn't stop laughing.

She was looking into those pits where its eyes should be. Just as the monstrosity began to send bolts of demonic fire towards the sinners, she spoke. "Finally...A CHALLENGE!"

 **(0)**

Isaac awoke with his heart running a mile a minute. Sweat poured down his bald scalp, causing his scar to itch horribly. Tears ran down his face. He couldn't remember the last time that he had woken up crying. His head ached like hell while shivers ran up and down his body.

Rolling out of bed, he nearly fell to his knees with nausea. His legs felt like liquid, and he had to grip the bed to stop from collapsing. Slowly, he regained his mind and stumbled into the hall.

It was God knows what hour. He hoped that his crying did not awaken anybody. His older sister could be like a dagger to the back when she wanted to be mean. The look on his father's face as well, of finding him crying again in the middle of the night like a baby which needed to be attended to only because it wouldn't shut up, would be crushing. Samson was trying to take control, bellowing at the scared young boy. He wanted to feel all those filthy chemicals running through his veins. He wanted to fight.

Isaac barely had time to splash water on his face. It woke him up faster, ceasing Samson's demands. He stared at himself, wishing that he could call his one friend right now.

It had been six months since he had last talked Chara face to face. She and her family always spent half a year in their home country, and half a year in the US. He had been at her last birthday party, and she had loved his gift (a poster of Godzilla) so much that she had brought it with her.

Or at least, according to her letters they were. Although the two had texted a little, technology, in general, made Isaac feel uneasy. And in written word he could always share his doodles (which she said made her laugh). Even if he couldn't hear her, the mental image of her smile was good enough for him.

He reached into his pocket, removing the cellphone which his dad had bought him after his first meltdown at school. His fingers trembled over the button, a thousand possibilities running through his mind. Maggie told him to do it, desperate to here Chara's voice. Lazarus was telling him how mad she would be. Sighing he lowered the cell phone.

The phone rang just as he was about to place it in his pocket. Astonished, he nearly dropped it raising the phone to his ear. "H-Hello?"

It was Chara.

She was crying.

"C-C-Chara? Are-are you okay?"

 _Of course, she's not okay you idiot!_ Cain spat. _She's crying. Nice work, you just made yourself look like a total asshole in front of the one person in your life who understands you._

 _Ask her if she's going to take her life! Don't let this be your last phone call with her! Promise her that everything will be fine!_ Maggie was frantic, her squeal making it difficult to think.

 _She deserves it for rejecting the Lord's Mercy._ Responded Eve in her usual gloomy manner.

Isaac felt a rage grow within him at those words. She couldn't say stuff like that. Not about his friend. NEVER. Azazel screeched through him silencing all the voices. He was the only thing they were afraid of besides God and Her.

For once he felt thankful that Azazel existed. But the rage within him would not fade, so when he spoke, it was in a deeper voice than it should have been. "Chara? Are you alright? Tell me what is wrong."

His change in pitch seemed to interest her enough, that it broke her out of her sobbing. _"Isaac…I…*Sniff*…I had a nightmare."_

Eve smirked. She didn't say a thing for fear of pissing off the demon any further. But she was exceedingly smug. The shared nightmare was just another piece of proof that God wanted Isaac to abandon this sinner.

"W-what about?"

She sniffled again. _"My parents."_

He felt his heart sink for her and ignored Cain's resentment. _Oh poor you. You had a mother and father who BEAT you. BIG. FUCKING. DEAL._

"I-I'm so s-sorry…would you like to…talk about it?" _She wouldn't have called if she didn't want to talk about it, numbskull!_

Azazel screamed again, silencing Cain's nastiness. _"No, I just…I was wondering…if you could read me a story…"_

Isaac frowned, taken aback. She continued, sounding more unsure than ever. _"…just…something to get me to sleep."_

Maggie was screeching with happiness now. _Let me tell! Let me!_

Isaac was too tired at the moment to reject her. He closed his eyes and allowed Maggy to take over with a quiet sigh.

"Okay Chara, let me just get back to my room!" Maggy smiled as she flicked off the light, and chose not to be bothered by the confused noise Chara made when she heard her friend talking in a different voice. She did not ask him about it, however, simply staying silent.

Maggy cocooned herself into the blanket and began recounting a story in her trademark giggly-whisper. "Alright, once upon a time…there was a man named Bob."

 **(0)**

At some point in the night, Chara fell into a deep sleep, and Maggy got so tired that Isaac came back into control.

Smiling at the sound of her snores, he whispered goodnight and turned off the phone. Slipping it into his pocket, he rolled over and hoped that no more nightmares would come. The digital clock beside his bed blinked red numbers that he was scared to read.

 _It's only a matter of time before she finds out what we really are. She won't want to do jack shit with us then._ Isaac ignored Cain and closed his eyes.

It didn't matter what any of them said. She was his angel. And he wasn't going to let go of her grace.

 **(0)**

Isaac sat in the airport, watching as great metal beasts tore through the sky. Planes still scared him, even if cars no longer did. They seemed like a way to cheat oneself into God's domain. Besides that, nothing natural was that big and that noisy. They were yet another part of modern life which had left the world behind in the dust.

Not to mention, the news channels his mother watched always talked about how there were terrorists in airports. Isaac had been too young to understand what a "terrorist" was, but the very name struck fear into his heart. All he knew was that they were the kind of monster that blended into a crowd, and they were apparently the worst thing to happen since the Holocaust (which his mother had said was fake).

Of course, this didn't change much for the child. Every new person he met was considered as someone who might be out to get him. Just being here, surrounded by new threats, and made his head feel fuzzy. Samson was on the offensive, ready to lash out at any moment. Lazarus was listing all the horrible things which might happen.

Dr. Gaster had stated that he was "paranoid." That was another word which Isaac didn't know the definition. When he had asked Chara in a letter, she had ignored the request for information. This caused Judas to become convinced that it was something horrible.

Even with his father by his side, he got the feeling that someone was going to grab pick him up and run off with him. This place was too open. Too full. Too unfamiliar.

But he had wanted to come here. He had told Chara that he would be here to greet her. He couldn't back down now, he was a big boy after all. If he couldn't be brave, then he was just a useless wuss. Big boys don't cry. _Men_ don't cry.

So he sniffled and rubbed his eyes. He refused to have another episode. Slowly he breathed in and out, just like Dr. Gaster had showed him, and clutched his stuffed cat. It was not Guppy, he knew that. Guppy was never coming back. But it felt like him, and Dr. Gaster had encouraged the use of it.

He glanced at his father, who was speaking with one of his business associates. Staring past him, he spotted Chara. Bolting upright, he dashed past his stunned father. The crowd of murderers and kidnappers were no longer a threat because _she_ was here. Isaac surprised her, nearly knocking over the ten-year-old with his embrace.

She laughed at his affection and wrapped her own arms around him as her family approached. "It's okay, I'm here."

 **(0)**

It was his older sister's seventeenth birthday. She was holding it at their mansion, under the strict rules of her father not to trash the place, or she would lose the car he bought her. He was out of town for the weekend, so she had invited everyone from her high school who knew her.

Which as it appeared, was quite a lot of people.

Chara had come over to keep him company, since, despite being fourteen, he still had a phobia of crowds of people. And loud noises. And his sister getting angry at him for interrupting. The two of them talked a little bit, and she helped him with his math homework.

Then she had left to use the bathroom. He nodded, still puzzling over the numbers. The eleven-year-old had been to his house so many times that he didn't need to give directions. Unfortunately, in the moments following the window behind him would be opened and a hand would grip his shoulder.

Isaac cried out, screaming until the intruder clamped a hand over his mouth. He wriggled like a worm and thrashed against the climber. Finally, he bit the hand with all his might.

"OWW! FUCK! You little bastard!"

The teen through his against the wardrobe and he cried out, before falling quiet. Blood ran down his head, as his vision turned blurry. The boy sneered at him, and the door opened. Then everything turned black.

 **(0)**

Chara returned to the room, stopping as she heard voices coming from inside. "Chelsa! What are we gonna do? He looked really hurt."  
"The little asswipe deserves it for biting my hand…Aghhh! It's still bleeding."

"Shut up Dan, this is serious!"

"No you shut up Kyle, YOU'RE THE ONE, who dared me to scare him."

Chara peered in and saw Isaac lying unconscious. His chest rose and fell, thank god. But there was blood running down his head.

Chelsa, Isaac's older sister silenced the bickering teens. "Will all of you stop panicking. We are going to call the hospital, and tell them that he had an accident. If he tries to tell dad that it's my fault, I'll just make him keep his trap shut."

Chara felt her vision go red. _No._ No way were they going to threaten HER Isaac after they HURT him. She removed the pocket knife which she always carried around, and turned off the lights inside the room from the hall. She pushed a chair in the way so that they could not open the door.

"Hey! Who hit the lights?"

"Why isn't the door opening?"  
Chara dialed 911 and told them that her friend had been thrown against a wardrobe and needed immediate medical assistance. She gave the address and then hung up.

Turning towards the door, she grew a cruel smile. The teens stopped talking the moment that they heard her calm, eerie voice. "This is how it is going to happen. You four are going to help me bandage Isaac and carry him out to the curb, or I am going to tell each of your parents that you are responsible for my best friend's concussion. Capiche?"

Dan, the idiot who had hurt Isaac, yelled back at her. "Let us out of here you little bitch."

Chara sighed and removed the chair. "You just HAD to make this difficult…" Chara reached over to the hall control panel and turned off the lights all over the house. The screams which followed in the next five minutes would have surely attracted the attention of neighbors, had the house not been so far out in the woods.

 **(0)**

When the paramedics arrived, the child was supported by blankets, beside the girl who had called and his older sister. The little girl was desperate to come along with him, so they allowed her. She looked on the verge of crying. She was strangely resilient compared to the teens there, who all looked like they had just been through WWIII.

It didn't take long for the police to arrive since the injury was supposedly violent. A boy with bandages all over his arm named Daniel Jackson, admitted to throwing the boy in a fit of rage. He looked almost happy to be taken away and kept glancing back towards the boy's older sister.

Beer, pot, and cigarettes were all found at the party as well. Two more police cruisers had to be called to take all of the suspects. They were all silent, though, not even protesting. Like traumatized children.

It was the last time that Chelsea or any of her friends would play Truth or Dare.

 **(0)**

Isaac awoke in a hospital bed.

The last time something like this had happened, the police had found him in the street, crying with hunger pains. He had been covered in scratches and gashes, mostly from the animals he had encountered by running away from home. His knee had been bleeding profusely. The doctors told him that he had something called Tularemia and something else called Cholera.

They said that it was a miracle that he survived. Judas had disagreed.

When he had awoken, the two officers began asking questions. Although initially fearful, he learned to open up. His story of being locked in his room disturbed them both he remembered, but eventually the recounting of his escape drove him to tears. After that, they stopped asking questions and seemed convinced.

His mother had been arrested after a few questions sent her way resulted in showing that she was abusive. Upon investigating the house, Detective Williams had found that the entire place was a massive health and safety hazard. His room had been full of shit, and the chest where he calmed himself contained the skeletal remains of a cat.

After that, his story got on the local news, and his father had approached the adoption agency which he was moved to once he had fully recovered.

Before that, he had rarely been taken to the hospital or the doctor in general. His father had been surprised to find that his mother had never paid for his tetanus shot. Hospitals were generally nice for him then. Many people saw them as nests of death, but to him they were sanctuaries. In the outside world, things were always changing. But hospitals always seemed the same to him.

They always felt like sanctuaries.

Awakening to find Chara beside him was a welcomed shock. She leaned against his bed, her face twitching as she slept. Her snoring was cute. He wished that he could watch her sleep more often.

Reaching out, he pushed back a strand of hair and wondered why he was here. A boy had broken into his room…then he had thrown him, and then-

Tears broke, and he ran a hand over his head. His fingers brushed against rough material of the bandages which wrapped around his head. "It-It's going to be okay, it's going to be okay…it's going to be…"

Chara's eyes flickered open. "Oh god, you're awake."

Eve snorted. _Blasphemer._ "Y-yeah…I'm…"

She wrapped her arms around him and then apologized when he made a small noise of pain for how hard she was squeezing him. "Sorry…I just…I wasn't sure…"

She rubbed her eyes and he tried to smile convincingly. It didn't come naturally. "I-I'm f-f-fine…"

Chara shook her head. "NO, you aren't! That asshole could have killed you! It's people like him, doing stupid reckless shit who ruin life for the rest of it. They never think. They never spend two fucking seconds on thinking about how what they're about to do is a BAD IDEA. I swear it will always happen as long as people have the freedom to fuck up."

Cain smirked. _So she's got some FIRE in her. I'm beginning to like her…_ Isaac ignored him and tried not to interrupt Chara. Her lips were twisted in a horrible sneer. Her voice was choked with hatred. His angel had become a monster. He wanted to silence her. To stop the ranting, which grew and grew as though a terrible symphony of condemnation. But Azazel would not let him. The Scapegoat wanted to see how deep she could fall. He wanted to see if she was a worthy adversary, or better yet, a worthy playmate.

"No…you don't control me…" He told the demon, struggling against the mental oppression.

It was barely a whisper, but Chara picked up on it immediately. "What's wrong?

He tried to speak, but his throat hurt. "I-I-I-"

"I scared you again didn't I?"

He shook his head and averted eye contact. "I…I would say worse…and do worse if someone hurt you."

She smiled. "I'm not sure about that second part. I gave the party apes a pretty good scare."

His eyes widened. "You didn't-"

"No, I didn't hurt anyone. I swear, sometimes you're like the patron saint of mercy. You never hold a grudge."  
Cain burst out laughing at that one. _OH BOY! If she only knew…_

"I-Is my sister okay?"  
"She's outside the room right now. They didn't let me in until you "stabilized." Your dad is gonna be here in a couple of hours."  
"Wait, what time is it?"

She moved her watch to her face, staring at the hands of the clock with suddenly tired eyes. "3'o clock."

He blanched. "Y-y-you gotta be joking."

She shook her head solemnly, and as if on cue, Sans opened the hospital door. He tipped his hat to Isaac and turned those strange black eyes upon Chara. "we've got to get going or your dad is gonna _kill_ me. your mother too now that i think 'bout it."

She looked ready to protest, but Isaac placed a hand on her shoulder. "It'll be fine."

Smiling, she gave him another, much gentler hug. Sans watched his eyes as the girl pulled away, and his lazy smile disappeared. Defensively, he cupped his arm over Chara's shoulders, still staring at Isaac with his head at a 90-degree angle.

Azazel laughed. **Looks like someone finally looked through the facade.**

Isaac shuddered and felt the fingers which would normally hold his knife, twitch.

 **(0)**

 _Fern: **I didn't think that I put that much wordplay into it, but I am glad that any might exist. : =D**_

 _Pokemon Master: **There is sicker content out there. We all gotta take refuge in the church devised from human bones eventually, anyway.**_


	4. Chapter 4

_"I used to be a dead guy_

 _Now I'm a fucking Jedi_

 _I used to dwell in the present_

 _I used to be so hesitant_

 _But now I have all my life to live_

 _And all of my love to give_

 _To all you fuckers that I hate…"_ ~ Gift of the Magi II, Return of the Magi, Andrew Jackson Jihad

 ** _IMPORTANT! I humbly apologize for calling Azazel "Azrael." Since their both biblical names (I apologize if I am incorrect) and since they are so similar, I got messed up. Hopefully, you'll forgive me of my sins. ;)_**

 ** _WARNING: Contains violence, mature language, and adult themes._**

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

The Keeper ran along, its feet smacking against the carved stone. A broken whisper echoed through the cathedral, barely heard over the crowing of an invisible chorus. An incubus lay at his side firing its artificial mimicry of The Keeper's own misery. Cain's eye darted about, blinking every now and then, but not contributing terribly to the fight.

Chara was up ahead of them. Her speed was far greater than it's own. She had, after all, ingested all those pills. She waited impatiently, cursing her allies' existence for how slow it moved. It was her turn to wait as someone collected the coins. It needed them after all. She didn't understand. She had inherited wealth. It had been forced to scratch and claw its way to success.

One day, she'd thank it. One day, when she was starving on the street and it was relaxing on an empire of black gold, she would regret her impatience. The coins on its rotting eyes dug into the skin with these thoughts as it narrowed its eyes. The cynicism brought pain, caused The Keeper to check to make sure that it still had The Empress card.

When it finally reached the door, Chara looked ready to cut off their head off of their already snapped neck. It didn't mind. She knew better than to challenge it. The duo slipped inside, each eager for the final battle, if for different reasons.

In the center of the room, curled into a fetal position mimicking the child's lot in life, lay Isaac. The Keeper sneered at the creature, disgusted at its debauchery and stupidity. Chara laughed upon seeing it. Just like the children who had made it afraid to tell anyone how awful its mother was.

She raised the knife on high, but before she could begin to hurt the little naked child, he lifted into the air. His eyes glowed white as he buzzed about, firing boiling tears at the two sinners. The Keeper and its ward fired back coins, while Chara darted close, stabbing the child in the back.

Isaac cried out, his tears turning bloody as holy power tore through his shredded soul. He launched himself into the air, firing down a barrage of divine bolts. They stabbed into the ground, leaving behind the charred stone. Chara and The Keeper went in opposite directions to avoid the pillars of light. A screaming angel appeared, screeching and blasting out its own mini-bolts. Chara leaped forward, happy to kill anything which moved. The Keeper clucked it's tongue, cold like a worm's corpse, at her folly as a pillar hissed against her back.

Isaac ceased flying about above, and lowered himself to the ground, as though asking for punishment. The Keeper deployed bomb after bomb, with Chara stabbing Isaac every moment which he was in blast range. The Empress card was used, disappearing into the ether.

One last time Isaac cried out before his twisted creator yanked him towards the heavens above. Chara smiled at the chest left behind while The Keeper examined its golden sides.

"He was weak."  
The Keeper hated her. She wasn't ambitious enough. Oh, she wanted to win. But just for the sake of it, but she didn't really care for being alive. She wanted to rack up points and then leave. She didn't realize that this was the only thing worthy of their attention. She didn't realize that all that mattered, in the end, was whether you died in a pit or a castle.

When she looked at coins, she didn't see value. She saw a means to an end. Her eyes were blinded, ironically enough to the gods of copper and zinc. To the great pyramid which adorned the almighty one dollar bill and watched. The chain of command was lost to her.

For indulging in the finer things.

Too much she cared for useless things like family and friends. She didn't understand survival of the fittest, the only rule which mattered. Although she wasn't ambitious enough to be king, she was overconfident. Eventually, the world would strike her down. She would be replaced like everything except money was.

Corpses rotted. Cathedrals collapsed. Beliefs died. But gold was eternal.

She was weak, unworthy to call anything else weak when she herself epitomized the feeling. Her masochism would be her undoing. She would die alone, with no big will and no big mark to make. Just pallbearers.

Pathetic.

Still, it did not speak otherwise. Indeed, Isaac was weak. It was a good thing that the two of them were here to kill him.

(0)

"Dude wake up! We're here."

Isaac snapped awake and stared over at Chara with wet eyes. He quickly brushed them, hoping to avoid a moment of awkwardness. She stared at him a moment, unsure if his smile was genuine.

Well, it had taken three years, but he could compete with her when it came to mimicking emotion. He wasn't a sociopath like his now twelve-year-old friend, and he certainly didn't do it to get anything out of anyone. He was just so used to being miserable, at school, at home, anytime she wasn't around, that the crybaby had developed a fake smile to rival Sans'.

Chara still frowned, her mind trying to reach beyond what he displayed. "Are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah…I-I'm fine…"

She gave him a skeptical look but clambered out the right side of the limo. Isaac followed her and was almost blinded by the afternoon sun. Bird call filled the air, the trees swaying gently as Chara told him that the last one to the playground was a rotten egg. Asriel had already reached it and stuck his tongue out at the two of them from beside the slide.

Normally neither of them wouldn't visit such a "childish place", but Isaac was short for a fifteen-year-old and Chara loved the swing set. So after taking one last glance at Undyne ("It's okay to go kid.") he dashed after his only friend, legs flashing through the thick grass. He trampled a flower and felt extremely guilty about it, but his regret faded when Chara told him to push her.

"You are now dubbed, King of the Rotten Eggs."

Isaac smiled for real this time. Long ago they had begun a running gag in which she insulted him and he sarcastically treated her like a princess. It's not that he minded the barbs either. They made him feel better about himself.

"Sure thing your highness."

She giggled and told him to hurry up before she sicked her brother on him.

The light cusp of hair on the back of his head tingled as a warm breeze struck. He moved behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. He hoped that she couldn't hear his breath rate increasing. Lately, he had been having more and more disturbing dreams about her.

Not just violent either. It was getting harder and harder to be around her, and not to notice how her body was _growing_ in certain places. Oh well, just another thing to hate himself for, eh?

His feet began to move as he heaved her body into the air and stepped to the side. Watching her make a "Weee!" sound and swing back and forth rhythmically. Asriel climbed down from the playground, glaring at the two of them for leaving him alone. Had Isaac had much more of a spine, he would have considered the boy spoiled for attention.

Undyne challenged him to a game of tag, though, and Isaac felt relief flush into him. Lazarus had considered the boy a threat since their first, rather, unfortunately, timed meeting. Maybe it was because the younger child had yelled at him. Maybe it was because it could be by nothing less than divine intervention (something Isaac had stopped trusting a long time ago) that he could be named so similarly to The Scapegoat.

"C'mon snotbrain, you only got one push in ya?"

Isaac glanced back to his friend and returned her challenging smirk. He jumped behind her, narrowly avoiding getting struck, before taking a running start, and grabbing onto the chains just as the momentum swung forwards. He didn't mean to touch her hands, it just happened. Electricity buzzed through him at the touch, and he let go before moving out of the way.

His hat slapped off his head as he struck the ground. The seat rattled as Chara jumped off of the seat with a cry. Undyne and Asriel paused their game, and the security called out.

"You punks okay?"

Chara said that they were, and lifted the half-winded Isaac into a sitting position. "You alright dude?"

He nodded and rubbed his head. "Yeah…I…I'm fine…"  
"Mommy, was that on his forehead?"

Both youths looked up and saw that one of the little children on the playground had approached. She called over to her mother, one hand clutching a plastic doll as the other rubbed her eye. She was peering at them. No, not them. HIM.

His scar.

The girl's mother took one look at Isaac's mark and turned away. Undyne approached in time to get chewed out by the woman.  
"Who thought it was a good idea to bring a child like that to a park? You think its fine to tell the children that it's fine to have tattoos? Let alone ones which are disrespectful and immoral."  
Chara would have pounced the woman right there, had her daughter not been present. Undyne sighed and tried to respectfully correct the woman. She looked almost as ready to punch as Chara though.

"Ma'am, that isn't-"

"I mean, what kind of lesson is that? I swear, you bleeding heart liberals won't be happy until all of the crosses have been chopped off of church steeples! And why? Because it's 'offensive.'"

Chara grabbed the woman's coat and yanked her stunned form towards her. "IT'S NOT A TATTOO YOU MORON! He carved that into his _own skull_ because people like you made him feel like _shit!_ "  
Both the woman and Undyne were startled into silence. Asriel stopped a few feet away from the confusion and gaped at the fire in his sister's eyes. The little girl gripped her mother's coat, peeking out at Chara like she was the monster in some cheesy horror film.

"Mommy...I'm scared."  
Chara groaned, turning away before the idiot could insult her. When she did, however, she realized that Isaac had run off. Probably crying. The pit in her stomach grew, as did the horrible aching in her neck. Undyne reached out, gripping her shoulder before she could run after him.

"Kid, maybe you should let me…"  
Chara pulled away and darted towards the line of trees and abandoned lot beyond. By the time she reached it, she was out of breath but called out anyway. Leaning on a tree for support, she glanced back and forth. He was nowhere to be seen. She was currently in a rare state of helplessness. It was the exact same feeling as when he had been given a concussion.

A twig inside the forest snapped. Ears perked, Chara took a careful gander inside. She couldn't see anyone, but the sound of crying could be heard just over the busy weekend traffic. But at least then she had been able to hurt the people who caused him pain. Currently, she was feeling less like the force of nature which she usually thought of herself as, and more like a scared little girl who could not protect her best friend from the barbs of the world.

"Isaac?"

No response. He wouldn't be able to speak anyway. Not when he felt like this. Chara stalked into the bottle green darkness. Birdsong could still be heard, but it felt more ominous as fallen leaves crunched beneath her step.

"Isaac? Isaac please…"

Worrying was his thing, not hers. But currently, a dozen scenarios, all ranging from possible to absurd filled her mind. What if he had hurt himself? What if he had an episode? What if he hated her for letting this happen?

"Please, Isaac…I-I…ISAAC, COME OUT RIGHT NOW! I'M SERIOUS!"

The birds chirped, the wind howled, and a distant car alarm blared as its owner neglected to turn it off. Chara's breath hitched as she thought she heard a whisper. It didn't sound human, though, as though a twisted spirit wavered about. She strained to hear it again and convince herself that she wasn't losing her grip on reality with anxiety.

The forest was quiet, refusing to answer her desperate anger. The wind kicked up the clay dust which choked the deserted lot. Then she heard a voice from behind her.  
"Are you alright?"

She swiveled to find a man in a coat, a cigarette pinned between his teeth. His face was narrow like a fox's and his eyes shined like marbles vanished to the bed of a river. "You look lost."  
Chara suddenly realized just how far away from Undyne she was. How far away from sight she was. The branches of the forest hung over her, with the kudzu draped in great emerald curtains, keeping the forest locked away. Any deeds committed here were never to see the light of day.

She took a step back, grabbing a rock in what she hoped was a subtle manner. "Yeah, I'm looking for my friend…have you seen him? Bald kid. Cries a lot. Eats pedophiles for breakfast."

The man growled at her sarcasm, and his hand, the one not used to cradle a cigarette whipped out. He grabbed her arm before she could toss the rock, and twisted it. She yelped, but he had her mouth covered before she could speak. His fingers gripped her chin, bruising the flesh and preventing her from calling out or even biting his hand.

She kicked and squirmed, but he had removed the rope. Chara got in one good punch to her captor's stomach before he pinned her down.

"Maybe that'll teach you to stay closer to the people your parents hired to protect you, ya stupid brat."

 **"Let. Go. Of her. She doesn't belong. To you."**

He glanced up, in time to feel a rock collide with his forehead. He stumbled backward, collapsing on the ground. He didn't even get to see his attacker because they were on him in a flash. Fingernails dug into his skin. Teeth gnashed against his face, biting off part of his nose. All he saw were those big, blue eyes filled with rage. Then two surprisingly strong hands were pressed against his throat.

(0)

Chara had to roll over to see was happening. She struggled to spit out the gag, and almost triggered her gag reflex. The horrible feeling haunted her throat and sunk into her stomach. Still this, or the tightness of the ropes against her skin was not the worst thing about the situation.

The worst thing was the look in her friend's eyes. He was staring at her like a man in the desert might look upon an oasis. Blood ran down his palms, which twitched now that they no longer had a human life beneath them.

Azazel growled. Just speaking was difficult for him when he was in control. There was so much rage, so much primal desire that language was made inefficient. Instead, he grunted and moaned, getting on his hands and knees as he approached her. His eyes focused on her face, twisted with distress and surprise.

He, ran a finger down the side of her face, wondering how she might look with her cheek torn up. Giggling at the thought, he flicked out its tongue and enjoyed the disgusted look she gave when it struck her nose. He felt ready to rend these cages of flesh and bone if just to mix their insides. The demon wanted to escape the inescapable. He wanted to be rid of humanity and frustration.

He wanted to be rid of life.

Biting so hard into its own lip so as to draw blood, the creature growled and spat the blood across her face. She flinched and it gave a screeching laugh. His claw drew down to her throat, flicking against her neck.

 **"Weak."** His voice was deep and thick as though corrupted by exposure to coal dust.

But it was still Isaac. Although a different personality was present, he could not distort his voice well enough to be well and truly rid of his own weakness. No matter what, the crying child just wasn't as good of an actor as he would like to be.

Chara closed her eyes, not wanting to see her friend in such a state. It drew a claw across her forehead, drawing blood from her. An artist of the flesh, The Scapegoat created a symbol to match its own upon her forehead.

Although Chara could not see it, the blood had been used to paint the crest which hung over her father's embassy. The Scapegoat had to laugh at the irony. She was the evilest thing it had found since leaving Mom.

 **"Just another fallen angel."**

That's all he managed to get out before a dart landed on his forearm. The monster keeled over and began to weaken. Chara opened her eyes, Isaac's breathing becoming more labored as he struggled to stay awake. Finally, he collapsed into exhaustion and she heard the crunching of footsteps.

A bony hand removed her gag and began to untie her bonds. "your parents are gonna kill me."

All Chara could do was stare at the sleeping Isaac. She didn't give Sans more than half a glance. Or her brother when he hugged her. Even the police could not really bring the levity of the situation to her attention.

Her mind was spinning with too many possibilities.

(0)

The Dreemur packed quickly upon hearing the news. They were all at the airport by the following morning. It didn't look like they would ever be coming back.

Chara said that it wasn't his fault. That something like this was bound to happen eventually. But they both knew that he would cry within an hour of her leaving. He couldn't help it. That's what he did.

Undyne was crushed that Chara had been hurt, and could have been kidnapped. Although Asgore forgave her, his son did not. Cain had enjoyed the look of resentment and laughed when he saw the tween holding hands with his sister, as though she might run away otherwise.

Isaac's father had threatened to sue Sans for tranquilizing his son, although Isaac was the only one did not seem to find this course of action morally questionable. The driver/bodyguard didn't seem to mind, though. He just made a pun about darts.

Chara hugged Isaac despite how paranoid her parents were getting. She promised him that she would be back. Every voice in his mind told him that she was lying.

He didn't have the heart to disagree.

(0)

The Pills helped. They always had. They helped more after Dr. Gaster started giving him new ones to prevent Azazel from taking control again.

Pills in the morning. Pills in the afternoon. Pills before you go to bed and pills for when you wake up in the middle of the night with tears in your eyes. Pills for whenever you see anything which reminds you of her. Sometimes Isaac just actually forgot. Sometimes he chose to forget.

Isaac didn't know why he was surprised. Everyone left. It was only a matter of time. His dad had left him. Guppy had left him. Now she had left him. Soon he would leave his father and would have no one left.

No one, except for them. His only friends. The ones who had been with him even before Guppy. The ones who had protected him down in the maze of tunnels. The ones who physically could not leave him.

They were part of him. They were the only ones who loved him. They were closer than friends and family. They were life.

Since he expected them to be the only people he would talk to for the rest of his life, he decided that creating a more friendly relationship with each, was a good idea. The good doctor had told him that they were bad. He was a liar. He could drug Isaac out of misery, he could scribble down notes for the rest of his life.

But he couldn't end the heart-wrenching loneliness. He couldn't make lifeless gray. No matter how many years Isaac visited him, he would not solve his problems. How could he? He was one man facing years of trauma and various mental inequalities. Somedays the exercise felt like a waste of time and money (although The Keeper thought anything not spent on the essentials should be hoarded). The further in Gaster waded in, the deeper and more polluted he would find the lagoon of his most profitable patient to be.

So instead of rejecting the voices, as the world had told him to do for the majority of his young life, the teen began to indulge them. He bought a cat to make Magdalene happier. She wanted to call it "Guppy II."

Isaac settled on "Sweetheart."

He took to gambling during the cafeteria movies. Always with himself, because no one wanted to sit with him, but it made Cain less nasty. He eventually got so good at calculating the odds that his grades in arithmetic increased.

Cutting himself was the most radical change to his life. But Judas was less stressed when a little blood had been let out. Isaac took up weightlifting on the weekends. Samson always took over during those moments, because Isaac was too weak to do something so strenuous. Lilith enjoyed momentary blindness, so Isaac took to wrapping a bandage around his head and stumbling about in the hedge maze. She loved listening to the bird song back there, as it reminded her of her own children.

Lazarus enjoyed visiting graveyards. The Keeper enjoyed picking up coins left on the sidewalk. Eve would have enjoyed repenting at the church, but Isaac always worried that his cap would be removed and someone would see his mark.

The one person he ignored was Azazel. It was his fault that she left. He refused to let him grow and fester.

Life was livable. Empty. Lonely. But livable.

(0)

He still hated himself. He still hated how stupid he was to think that their friendship might last. He was still dumb enough to think that she would stay with her. He was still evil enough to ruin the one thing which made his life worth living.

He was still useless.

On his way to the nearest bar, he occasionally stopped to watch the children play. It made him sad, but happy. He took to playing the cup game at the bar with anyone who wanted to pitch in a dollar. The staff had come to referring to him as "Cain" (per his request) and always leaving the booth in the back open for him since he always drew a crowd. They even had a beer ready, though they knew he was under age. Once in a while, he would awaken to find a crowd of drunk people shoving money towards him and cursing up a storm. In those moments, he would briefly wish for one of them to get fed up with loosing and just shoot him.

They never did, although he bummed enough cigarettes and drank enough to make up for that.

Some nights he would wonder what the point of returning home was. He would just wake up to the same room, go to the same classes, and end up back out here in the cold, staring at the cloudy sky and wondering " _why?"_ The calls between him and her had all but gone extinct.

She sounded different. Her life was so different from his. She was traveling the world while he was afraid to leave the town.

But when she stopped sharing all her good memories of the past week, month, year, etc. and asked for his own. That was when he stumbled for words. It was funny. He could create an army of horrible creatures to punish himself with. But he couldn't make up a few events.

Then he would hear the pity in her voice, and feel like he wasn't worthy of her attention. They're in-jokes faded. His life turned into a blur. She asked what college he wanted to go to, and he realized that he hadn't thought about it in months.

One night he got home, the stench of liquor clinging to his breath. His phone rang, and with a shaky hand he brought it out of his pocket. Staring at the name and the red button used to activate the call, he realized that he still missed her, but didn't want to actually talk to her. Eve was smug as he dismissed the call and collapsed onto the couch in a fit of sobs.

He didn't interrupt her as she listed all the ways in which Chara was a bad influence.

(0)

Isaac watched as the sleeping medicine mixed with the alcohol in the blender. It hadn't been hard to get them. Just mention that he was having more nightmares recently (not a total lie) to Dr. Gaster. The drugs turned into a brown and pink ooze which resembled something of his own sick imagination.

"Cocktail." There, an adequate name for something so fantastic. He dared to think, in a smug mental tone, that it was one of his better. "Isaac vs. Cocktail." That had a nice ring to it.

Except there was no coming back from this. No matter what items or friends he brought with him, this was the one enemy which he could not kill. That is, except to swallow him whole. He? She? It? They? _Why the fuck did it matter?_ Like everything else, it was another stupid complication of what should have been irrelevant. He was about to face the final frontier and he was worried about the correct terminology for an imaginary creature?

This was his life. One big joke on behalf of a brain-dead individual, too stupid to enjoy the happiness which everyone else seemed content with. One way out. One way out just like there had always been.

Isaac tipped the concoction towards his mouth. He wondered if it would taste horrible if he would die tasting something awful. His hands were shaky. Why he knew not. It wasn't the first time that he had tried to kill himself, just the first time since running away from home.

 _But you didn't run, you just went somewhere else. You were still haunted. You will always be haunted._ Judas smiled for the first time in quite a while.

 **But not in death.**

Ignoring Azazel, he widened his mouth so that he could eat it all at once. Isaac leaned against the counter, and his finger brushed against the suicide not. His poor father. Isaac just refused to grow up and turn into his actual dad. He already looked like him, he refused to spawn another little Isaac to be tortured with this hereditary obsolescence.

A wicked taste stung against his tongue. At least, it tasted better than shit. He closed his eyes and heard Satan laughing in his ear. **_Thanks for making my job so much easier Isaac._**

The boy wasn't listening, though. He was too busy enjoying the blackness which seeped all about him and cleaned his spotted soul. _I'm sorry Chara, maybe we'll meet in heaven._

Something told him, though, that this was not the reality.

(0)

 **The End.**

* * *

 ** _What?_**

 ** _Did you_**

 ** _Really_**

 ** _Think_**

 ** _That you would_**

 ** _Get_**

 ** _Off_**

 ** _That_**

 ** _Easily?_**

 ** _HAHAHAHAHAAHAA…_**

 ** _It's not over yet._**

 ** _We're not done torturing them.  
_**

* * *

 _"Each night, when I go to sleep, I die. And the next morning, when I wake up, I am reborn."_ ― **Mahatma Gandhi**

(0)

A knock on the door jolted Isaac out of his stupor. He was so surprised, that the mix dropped from his hands and struck the kitchen floor. It splashed out, with pills rising to the surface of the solution. Again came the knocking.

Isaac quickly mopped up the mess and rushed to the door. His father was out of town (as usual), and even though the last thing he wanted right now was to interact with another human being, he was too polite to leave someone waiting.

Hoping that it was Jehovah's witnesses so that Eve might pull him out of his suicidal thoughts, he moved to the door. Slipping it open a crack, he glanced out into the night. The hair on the back of his neck rose.

"hey, kid. long time no see."

Before he could speak, a fifteen-year-old Chara had tackled him with a hug.

* * *

 ** _Again I apologize for calling Azazel "Azrael" earlier._**

 ** _I figured I would pull a Toby Fox on you all. Not sure how many people I actually tricked, but eh. It was worth it if ONE of you freaked out for even just a second._**

 ** _Anyway, the story is not over yet._**

* * *

Guest: **_Well here is some._**

Touhou is Life: **_Thanks. Hopefully, it'll just get better._**


	5. Chapter 5

**_WARNING: Contains sexual and adult themes, as well as violence and adult language._**

* * *

 **5**

Once it had been explained that the three of them would be staying for the next week, Isaac settled down. The past few moments had been so emotionally varied, that he was left jittering in his seat. He was overwhelmed with joy that she had finally returned, if a little confused and startled.

"Why didn't you call to tell me?" He asked, sitting on the sofa across from the one currently occupied by a smirking Asriel and a beaming Chara.

Their chauffeur rummaged through the fridge as Chara raised an eyebrow. "I called you a bunch of times Isaac. You never picked up. Eventually, I just called your dad, and he said that it was fine."  
His face flushed with heat, and he looked at his fingers. "I was afraid…that my life was too…boring for you."  
She rolled her eyes. "Isaac, once you realize that I am never going to abandon you…and that you are not boring, or evil, or crazy, you are going to do great things."

He looked up with surprise. "Wait…y-you really think so?"

"Of course. You are your own worst enemy."

Asriel bobbed his head to the music on his cellphone while his sister swiveled towards the meow of Sweetheart. "You didn't tell me that you got a cat!"  
"S-sorry…I…I didn't-"

"Stop apologizing. What's his name?"

"Uh, Sw-Sweetheart."

She burst into giggles, her brother giving her a distasteful look. Isaac blushed again. This time, he felt happy to hear her laughing, even if it did bruise his ego.

"Ah, man…that…that is way too funny."

Her laugh sounded different. More natural. More friendly. Isaac found himself getting drawn to her eyes as she complained about the plane ride over. They were a less conniving hazel and more an enchanting honey brown. She wore a ponytail, her hair darker and redder than it had been before. Her lips were redder and her cheeks were thinner.

The girl gave him a smug look, and he realized that she knew he had been staring. Asriel glanced between the two of them, unable to understand what he had missed. Isaac wanted to melt into the couch at the moment and turned his face away.

"Gum?"

He looked up and found his friend offering a stick of gum. She was still wearing that same smile, an irrational glint in her eyes. Isaac didn't want to be rude, so he took the piece, and felt her fingers linger over his.

Sans entered the room, his eyes darting between the bewildered Asriel, mortified Isaac, and grinning Chara. Clearing his throat, he shoved the last potato fry into his mouth before addressing the three of them. "uh. we should get you kids to bed."

Isaac nodded, standing and insisting on helping to get all of their bags.

(0)

After helping Sans unpack the limo, and bringing Asriel's and Chara's luggage to the guest bedroom, Isaac offered his sister's old room for the driver. Sans refused to impose, claiming that he would be happier on the couch. Azazel said that the boney bodyguard would be "first against the wall." Isaac didn't know what that meant, but he definitely did not like the sound of it.

As he mounted the stairs climbed the stairs, Isaac took a few deep breaths. He was anticipating a good night's rest like someone in the desert might anticipate an oasis. As he reached the door to his room, the sound of some Scandinavian pop song drifted through the wood, confusing him immensely.

"Asriel? Are-are you in the-" He opened the door, and his jaw almost hit the floor.

Chara lay on his bed, half naked. When she spotted him, she turned off her phone and sat up. Waiting a couple of seconds, she giggled at his response and drew a finger across her mouth. The motion would have been corny had it not turned him on so hard.

She lowered her eyebrows and spoke in a breathy voice, one hand "Oh hey Isaac. Do you like what you see?"

Isaac didn't respond. He was too busy tripping over his own thoughts. His eyes were bugging while his "friends" remained silent as he tried to summon an intelligible sentence. They had never encountered anything like this before.

She wore nothing but a red bra and a pair of black thong panties. Each garment had a fancy edge to it, giving the impression of being high-class lingerie. Her skin hair had been let down, and it now brushed her breasts and hugged her bare shoulders.

He couldn't help but moan, inciting another bout of giggles from his crush. "I'll take that as a yes. So…do you want me to strip you, or vice versa?"

"I-I-I-I…uh…I mean…that is…"

She put her hands on her hips and sat up. "C'mon Isaac, don't tell me that you haven't thought about it? Because I sure have." Her eyes flashed dangerously, and had he not been so baffled, Isaac might have started hyperventilating.

He blanched and averted his eyes. "N-No…I mean...I-I h-have…b-but..."

"Are you alright? I know that stuff like this might…startle you…" He turned away in shame as she danced around the fact that she could easily assume that he was a virgin. "…but I promise…that we can take it slow. If I can even do oral, but if this is what you really want, you shouldn't let anything stop you."

"I just…I'm…" He turned his eyes to the carpet. "I…I'm afraid."

Chara slid off of his bed and wrapped an arm around him. "If you're not ready for this…I won't push. But I don't want you to make this decision because someone once told you that it was wrong to have sex. Or wrong before marriage. Or wrong because you're too young, or I'm too young. We've both masturbated before, every The world wants to push you around Isaac. It wants to shut down everything that is beautiful so that you end up getting all your pleasure out of the shit it broadcasts. So that it can take advantage of you. It wants you to be miserable. I'm not going to let you become that way, Isaac."

He looked up at her, his fingers mingling and struggling with one another as he struggled for the words he needed. Eve was telling him that this was sinful. Lazarus was afraid that he might contract some sexual disease. Cain told him to flip a coin over it.

Azazel told him that this would be an opportune instance to cause her pain for how she had neglected and abandoned them.

He gave her a smile. "O-Okay."

She beamed, but before anything else could be said, he requested that she give him five minutes to get ready. Pouting, she told him to "hurry up." Halfway out the door, he glanced back at her, Lazarus forcing him to ask the question.

"Do you umm, have protection?"  
She removed a container of birth control pills from the bedside table. "Yes. Because I'm not an _idiot._ "  
He blushed and closed the door behind himself. Staring at his reflection, he wondered why a beautiful girl like her, would ever want someone as disfigured and weak as he. Cain suggested that she probably had a thing for scars, and Isaac almost believed him. But then he remembered what she had told him. That he needed to have more confidence in himself.

 **She's a liar. She just wants to use you and then throw you away.** Insisted Azazel.

Isaac splashed water on his face and told the demonic voice to shut up. Maggy was currently ecstatic, already planning Chara's and her own wedding. He had to grin at that.

 _I knew true love was real, I knew it!_ He could picture her leaping up and down in delight.

"Don't get your hopes up too much. We'd be privileged if this was a one-time thing." Isaac tried to assure.

Maggy wasn't listening, though.

 **(0)**

That night was best of his life. He fell asleep, curled up beside the one person who understood him. Chara ran her finger along his forehead. She was the only person who he was comfortable with touching his scar, and he knew that he wouldn't have a nightmare.

 **(0)**

Judas could hear Ultra-Greed's breathing from the shop. Toothpicks were jammed into his eyes, but he could still see Chara sorting through the items, eventually deciding to take the needed funds from the donation box. In her left hand, she played with her knife, anticipating the fight which they were about to take part in as though her sanity depended upon it.

Judas didn't see the point in fighting back when the being had already won by corrupting their soul. Still, he held the demonic bible into the air, feeling the power of The Betrayer coursing through his veins and manifesting as extra flesh, black and tainted. Chara turned towards him, and her smile faded.

"What's with the frown?"

Little Steven circled the downtrodden betrayer, Judas glancing up and snarling his response. "What's the point? No matter how we kill Him, he ALWAYS comes back." He wiped some blood from his lips, the effects of the pills he had taken, filled his throat with bile and his head with nausea. "We're no better either. This entire game is nothing but a cheap distraction from the petty nature of our sordid existence."

Chara rolled her arms and removed Gimpy's mask. "You're never gonna be happy if you blather about that stuff."

She slammed the mask into place and pushed his chin upwards. "C'mon dude, you can flagellate after this."

He was genuinely surprised. He had already taken used the Cat-O-Nine tails on the second floor but was still longing for a way to exercise his masochistic nature.

"Wait, really?"

Chara smiled back and nodded, turning him towards the door as she spoke. "If you want, I can help."

The door opened and the two gazed upon Ultra-Greed's hulking form. He sagged against the rope, the golden coins in his eyes marking him as a corpse. Each one was bigger than them, and each shined in the torchlight. Lumps in his flesh wiggled, giving the impression of dozens of worms, sold a place in the God's organs.

He rocked back and forth, bellowing like the titan he was. The rope snapped and he crashed to the floor, leaving a crater behind. Each foot was missing almost all of its toes, causing the incarnation of avarice to shamble closer, roaring again to reveal his mouth full of golden teeth. He ran a hand across his form, grubby fingers almost wishing to tear off the years of factory fast food and launch their bloody result towards his foes. Instead, he stomped down, each foot shaking the room upon impact with the stone floor.

Judas ran forward, ducking around the giant and firing his tears at the hulking backside. In this creature, he saw the useless garbage which this world valued. He saw all the starving children. He saw the sky and all of God's creation gutted and smoked by the machine of industry. Stupid, stupid, STUPID. From the one dollar bill to the monsters who sold off children. It was all humanity given up in exchange for nothing.

Not even real gold, not even real shiny rocks. A _representation_ of shiny rocks which don't actually exist. It was the ultimate manipulator, it was the hands of the mighty pressed down upon all which was good and honest.

Judas fell into an uncharacteristic rage, firing twice as quickly as his rage consumed more and more of him. Ultra-Greed summons a hoard of minions, but Chara turned her knife upon him, decimating the mass with unparalleled ease. Roaring again, Ultra-Greed's eyes flipped endlessly, his smile full as he fired a barrage of coins at her. Each one was the size of a pumpkin, weighing enough to crush her head and face.

She grinned as he fired, but the smile disappeared as the creature swung at her, sending her into the wall with a yelp of surprise. The Merchant of Death marched over, raising a foot to crush her form. Judas refused to allow him.

This king of nothing would not do this. He would not get away with putting up advertisements everywhere, relying on the pleasures of the flesh to sell unrelated trash, and then kill the person who had actually evaluated Judas and allowed release from the spiral of self-loathing.

Tearing across the room, he grabbed Chara's knife and stabbed it deep into the creature's ankle. Out of balance, it teetered and then pivoted backward. Judas jumped from its shadows, tossing the knife back to its owner.

Who promptly jabbed the blade into Greed's skull. The titan rattled, blood oozing from every orifice until he stopped lurching about like a maggot put to the frying pan. Chara slid off of the corpse and approached her savior. Removing his mask, she ran a hand over his chin.

"You alright?"

He blinked twice, not realizing that his breath was still as ragged. "I-I-"

She brought him into a hug, "Its okay. I'm fine. Everything is."

Judas closed his eyes and felt warmth course through him as he nodded along to the lie.

 **(0)**

 ** _Reverse the genders in the song "Only the Good Die Young" and you have Chara trying to convince Isaac it's okay to have sex. Except…a lot more licentious and maybe some light cursing._**

 ** _Next chapter will be much longer._**


	6. Chapter 6

**6**

 **WARNING: Contains highly mature content.**

* * *

Azazel enjoyed only one thing about her presence.

It was not her scent (instead, that smell revolted him). It was not the heat of her body pressed against his. He would be much happier if she were cold as a corpse. It was not the shapeliness of her hips or the perkiness of her breasts. Nothing about her body, naked or otherwise, interested him. He sought pleasure only in the removal of her organs, not in the bits and blemishes which humans considered so important.

No, it was the knowledge that she was so exposed.

That he could do such evil to her, and she would never have a chance to run–that's what amused him. Slowly he ran her fingers over her shoulder, pressing his ear to her back and listening to the beat of her heart. He could crush her windpipe. He could slit her throat. He could snap her neck.

It pleased him so much. A tingle which ran up and down his spine. It filled his belly with the desire to have something between his teeth.

One last time he drew a hand over her frame and cupped her stomach. He dug his fingers in, gentle enough not to awaken her but still able to grope. Grunting, he climbed over her slumbering form and wrestled a pack of cigarettes out of his dresser.

He detested how clean and orderly Isaac kept the place. His desire to tear down the curtains, strip the bed, and generally make a mess of the room, was overrun by the knowledge that it would not be as beneficial as keeping a low profile. So he dressed quickly, rejecting any of the plus grade crap which adorned the walk in closet. A white tee shirt, a pair of jeans, and a black leather coat for the cold, would do fine.

The monster stalked out of the room, not bothering to close the door behind him. Hell, maybe the cool air would wake up the lazy whore and she would finally get her ass out of bed. Or maybe her brother would stumble on her exposed body. If he did, Azazel might get a chance to finally see what prison is like. Statutory rape would be a nice way to see what a penitentiary looks like on the inside. Plus, watching Isaac squirm behind bars and making the whore feel guilty for luring the suck up into intercourse, would be so worth it.

For the moment, though, Azazel was trapped in this crappy exercise in exorbitance. The tiles, the flat screen TV, the annoying as all hell parakeet. It contributed towards creating this trash disguised as better. He wanted no part of it. Any of it. He wanted the wind on his forehead, the feel of dirt beneath his bare feet. He wanted to leave.

A cigarette was between his teeth before the back door even slammed close. His fake father's lighter to his nose level. And of course, he had been able to steal it because his fake father was quitter who couldn't even have the decency to pollute his lungs and bring upon himself a painful death.

 _Stupid. Spineless. That useless excuse for a human being was a boneless creature which slid along the ocean floor, eating mollusks perhaps._ Azazel didn't give a fuck about what did or didn't inhabit the ocean floor, only that his adoptive parent belonged down there, his body snapped into nothing by the pressure.

"need a light?"

He glared in the direction of the trespasser, thoroughly annoyed at the presence of a human being. They were weak, insolent creatures. Easily corruptible, easier to make lifeless. They belonged in the ground, not pawing for his attention.

Sans raised an eyebrow half up his skull, surprised to see the teen already well-prepared for the job at hand. "ah. figured you wouldn't have…one of those."  
Azazel cocked Isaac's head. The guy who had tranquilized him, who had prevented him from killing the whore, seemed puzzled that he was a regular smoker. It wasn't his inconvenient appearances, however, which infuriated Azazel however. It was the grin.

That constant, smug grin which the bony bodyguard would not relinquish. Azazel wanted to snap the shorter man's jaw straight off if it meant that he would be free of its arrogance. But this time, Sans wasn't smiling.

He was frowning. Scratching his noggin and stumbling away. As though he could see every bit of malice regarded.

Oh right. He had a face. Azazel was so used to being a voice that he had almost forgotten. Humans can see how you're feeling, through your face. It was an uncanny ability which they rarely seemed to use for any purpose.

Azazel twisted his face, so that he was no longer hosting a death glare, and instead an unnerving smile. "What? Did you think I'd own some…waste-of-money, electric lighter? Some piece of trash wrapped in plastic and tinted glass?"

Sans shook his head. He was still backing away. _Good. He knows what happens to people who piss me off._

"i just…didn't expect you would smoke this much."

Azazel laughed. "Didn't pick up the stench earlier? Or were you too busy rooting through drawers?"

The question cut the tension, forcing Sans out of his stupor. He chuckled and made some joking excuse, before retreating around the side of the house. Probably to sit in his car and jerk off.

Azazel could see the speed at which the lazy guard sauntered. He knew that something was off. _I'll have to kill him first._

He glanced around. _Urban neighborhood plagued with banality. Pretty little houses in a pretty little row, all built on the back of the devil, just waiting for him to shrug his shoulders and let it all topple forth._

 _PRETTY...LITTLE...CORPSES._

He sat down on the lawn, fixing the shoelaces. _Loopy-loop and kill the rabbit._

He spoke to the slumbering child as he stared at the morning sky. _IIIIIISAAC…you've been_ naughty _. Pretending that this is your home, that this is where you belong. It's been a fun game I'm sure, but now it's time for you to watch your little fantasy burn. IT'S TIME FOR YOUR STUPID LITTLE BRAIN TO WAKE UP. To the_ real _world. To end this game. I swear, even if I have to kill all the players, I will make you understand how little all of this truly means. I will make you suffer for what you've done to me._

 _I will make you suffer for what you've done to me._

Azazel felt a slice of paper in his left pocket. He ran it through his finger, enjoying the roughness of the thing. Then he tore it out and ran his eyes across the print. "DR. W.D. GASTER. PSYCHOLOGICAL HELP."

There was a series of numbers, most notable being the ones written by hand. Beside them were the message "Call my personal if you have another episode." Azazel thumbed over them, his mind working sluggishly. The sun's rays struck his back, crawling up his dark frame as he stared at the paper.

It was early, still the breath of night hung in the air, clinging to the windows and hanging from the well-pruned trees like Spanish moss. No one had exited the house on account of it being Saturday.

Had someone exited their house at that moment, to walk the dog, or perhaps, retrieve the paper, they would have stopped dead in their tracks. For the grin which Isaac Hart currently wore, was so malformed with ill-intent, that its size only increased its sense of malignancy. It looked like one of Isaac's grim creations. A monster, smoldering in its own cunning, waiting to strike dry leaves and set the forest aflame, with a grin sowed into place for good measure. One to mock every ounce of pleasantry which might be derived decently from the day.

Azazel began to walk. Once a sufficient distance from prying eyes, he removed Isaac's cell phone and brought it to his ear. He was able to mimic Isaac's cringe-inducing stutter immediately. Again he smiled.

 _Heh, acting is fun._

The demon-boy stumbled into the house, his entire form painted with his bloody misdeed. He climbed the stairs, the same sick grin he had worn as while entering Gaster's office still hung to his face. The sound of arguing emanated from Isaac's bedroom, causing the grin to widen. Pressing a wet ear to the door, he closed his eyes and soaked in the anger.

The perfect siblings were fighting. Maybe Flower-Face really had stumbled upon Murder-Eyes while she slept. Maybe he hadn't seen her in the nude since the two of them could only count to ten and still shared baths together.

Or maybe this was his first time seeing a girl stripped of her clothing. Maybe now, whenever the spoiled little prince tried to jerk off, the image of his sister, sprawled out and naked as a baby, would haunt him.

Azazel much preferred that possibility.

Entering the bathroom, he locked the door and began to removing layers. The shower hissed against his form, pouring over his head and reminding him that he lacked horns in this form. He bristled, and then slid to his knees, eyes closed.

Isaac was waking back up. Good, let him figure out what he had done.

Azazel relinquished control, and slid into the back of Isaac's skull cavity, lurking in the teen's lizard brain. Isaac's eyes opened, the cold cruelty and unquenchable hunger gone. The boy's fingers twitched against the warm water which rolled down his naked body. The dried blood began to wash away in streaks, tugged down the drain by the water.

Reaching forward, Isaac picked up the bar of soap and began lathering his form. He didn't remember getting into the shower, or waking up either. Every action was painfully slow as he adjusted to the light. Still partly-sleepwalking, he opened the door and stepped out of the water.

The water continued to pelt the shower floor as he stared at his reflection. His friends were silent; something had happened. Something terrible. He knew, that it must have been truly powerful for them to have grown silent. He lifted a hand to his head and felt the pound beneath the surface of his skin.

Switching off the shower, he picked up a towel and draped it over himself. Picking up his clothes, he paid little attention to their coloration. Instead trotting downstairs, and then to the basement, where he dropped them in the washing machine. His hands worked by themselves, turning dials, filling the pocket with soap, and then removing some newly dried clothes from the dryer. He dressed quickly, the argument upstairs jolting him to his senses.

He got the feeling that it would not be long before someone threw something.

Even though his mind was screaming to move faster, his legs still climbed the stairs at a sluggish pace. The screaming grew louder on his approach and almost dissuaded him from entering the room. Lazarus was freaking out, and Maggy wanted to get out of the house.

Isaac reached forward regardless. The door swung forward, and he jumped back in time to avoid getting his nose crushed. Chara was about to snarl something when recognition fell into her eyes.

His eyes glided over her, at first, to make sure that she had received no bruises from the argument, and then to ogle. He had assumed that once you had sex with somebody, they stopped being attractive. This was clearly not the case.

She looked just as tempting as she had last night, dressed only in her underwear and a bathrobe. Before Isaac could ask what the matter was, she leaped forward and wrapped her arms around him.

"Oh my god, you had me so fucking worried! Don't you ever do that again!"

Isaac's head bobbed up and down in agreement, the sharpness in her demand cutting through him. She sounded just like his mother the time that he had gotten lost in the woods.

"I-I-I…"

She pulled away, searching his face for signs of damage. His eyes wandered from her inspection to her sparring partner. Asriel stood beside Isaac's bed, practically growling. The prince looked ready to snap the older teen in two.

Cain chuckled, happy to indulge. _Come and get it, pretty boy._

Isaac looked back down. "I didn't m-mean to s-sc-scare you…I j-just…w-went for a w-walk."

Chara sighed, and leaned back into embracing him. "I thought…I thought that I had…done something wrong."

Isaac stared at the top of her head. She sounded like a little girl, lost and afraid. Her hair nestled under his chin as her body went almost limp, trusting that he would not let her fall.

 _Don't worry songbird, I'm never letting go._

Asriel stepped out of the room, slamming the door tightly and brushing past both of them. Chara didn't look up, but the depressed teen which she clung to did. For a moment, he could sense the spite in Asriel's eyes, and reflected his own anger. She was on the verge of tears, and he was being selfish and immature.

The younger teen didn't look intimidated, however. His sneer only grew, and he murdered something to Sans when the driver entered the house through the back door.

Isaac shook his head at Asriel's retreat and turned his attention back to the person in front of him. The one clinging on for dear life.

"Why didn't you call?" He asked as he stroked her hair.

"I did!" She spoke into his button-up, the wetness against the fabric informing him that she was able to cry without making a noise. "You never picked up your cell."

 _How many times_ , Isaac wondered, _had she cried and no one paid heed?_ _Had she been crying when she wrapped that rope around her neck? Or was it the cool blade across the wrists?_ He never had learned the nature of her attempted suicide, but she had always loved knives.

"Chara please, why don't I get some tea and you can get dressed?"

She pulled away, nodding and rubbing her nose with her sleeve. She retreated into the guest room, speaking in a croak as she closed the door.

"No sugar...please."

It was the please which sounded worst. Isaac didn't remember the last time that he heard her say that word. She had always been self-sufficient, rarely requiring anything of others.

Nodding, despite the fact that she could not see him, Isaac moved downstairs. He could feel Sans's eyes on his back as he filled a kettle. Still he did not break the silence until the stove had been activated and a mug and tea-bag had been retrieved.

"I didn't mean to cause…h-harm."

The smell of cigarette's, unmistakable reached him. The driver had lit one, inside. _"Not gonna lie kid. I always knew you were gonna fuck up."_

Isaac's breath caught. There was something very wrong with Sans's voice. It was not the slow, messy baritone which he had come to expect. Instead, it sounded icy, judgmental. As though the short man could see every sin which tainted Isaac's soul.

May lightning strike him down where he stood for such blasphemous thoughts. But on his grandmother's bones, Isaac swore, that was the voice of god.

"just never thought it would be a literal fuck up."

The piercing wisdom was gone. Replaced with the maturity of a high school bathroom wall. The youth had returned to his voice as well, thick and distorting of what lurked beneath the surface. Sans could have played a cartoon bear.

"Heh…heh…tha-that's a p-pun…r-right?"

Sans chuckled. "uh huh."

Isaac placed the teabag in the mug. He wanted to be anywhere but here right now, with the person who had once tranquilized him breathing down his neck and making jokes. "while utterly horrified…i'm also kinda impressed."

The kettle began to shriek, giving Isaac ample opportunity to avoid looking the bodyguard in the eye. "Wh-wh-why is th-that?"

"of all the people to make asry and char fight, i never thought it'd be you. they've traveled all over the world, met ambassadors, generals, rock-stars. i know that nothing last forever, someone or something would come between them and split up the childhood duo." Sans moved to his side, watching as he poured the tea. "but i mean c'mon! i knew that you were important to chara. but she's turned her nose up at every lunk and the exotic prince whose ever made a move on her. wasn't even sure that she swung that way…til I saw the way she was looking at you last night. it's always been more likely that asgore and tori are gonna divorce and split them up…then a girl or guy is gonna cause discord in their creepily-close relationship."

The water pooled in the mug as Isaac realized that Sans's breath was so soft that he almost could not sense it. "i just imagined someone…more impressive."

Isaac almost splashed boiling water on his hand. "Oh?" He didn't know why he was disappointed with the assessment. Isaac had never wanted this man's respect, let alone for him to consider him dangerous to emotional stability and sibling bond of the people he was paid to protect.

"i guess we ain't so different after all…" Isaac added the correct amount of cream, still avoiding any eye-contact with the man. _"…we're both more dangerous than we look."_

Isaac almost spilled the cup, such was the alarm at hearing that second voice. He glanced at Sans and found the man smiling as always. It was not until now, that he had even considered how disturbing it was for this man to _always_ be showing his teeth.

 _"I'm sure you didn't take advantage of the fourteen-year-old girl you just rutted with. The one who just happens to be rich. At least, I know that Chara would have kicked your face in if it was non-consensual. And judging by the arguing, she wanted it more than you did. So I'm sure you were just_ along for the ride. _"_

Isaac felt his hand, cold as death grip his shoulder. He refused to turn back, to see the cold rage which bubbled just beneath the surface.

 _"But I'm warning you, kid…if you_ hurt _either of them…there is going to be hell to pay, understood?"_

"Y-yes sir." Refusing to stand there any longer, Isaac gripped the mug and bolted for the stairs. He got one look at Sans, just spotting the glowing The light brown liquid sloshed inside of the mug, his hands shaky as he neared the guest room.

KNOCK-KNOCK. "Uh, Chara? Ar-are you

"Uh, Chara? Ar-are you dr-dressed?"

"Yes."

Her voice was better already. Isaac opened the door and stepped inside. "I didn't know what kind you preferred so I just-"

He stopped, nearly dropping the drink. "Ch-Chara…n-"

Dressed only in bra and panties, she crawled across the bed, reaching out and taking the tea. She placed it on the bedside table and leaped back at him. Pulling him in close, she pressed her lips to his and maneuvered him onto the bed.

He squirmed beneath her, finally, against all instincts, pushing her off by the shoulder. He sat up as she scowled. "What's the matter? C'mon, what are you waiting for?"

He stuttered and then took a deep breath. "Chara…I don't…why…we need to t-talk about what just happened. I-I d-don't want to…have s-s-"

"Sex?" She asked in a skeptical tone.

He nodded, face still red. "Why are you being so…p-possessive?"

She glared daggers at him, but he stood his ground. "I've always been honest with you. Now please…trust me?"

Her scowling increased, then collapsed. She exhaled and lay back on the mattress.

"I had a nightmare…that while I slept, you jumped off a bridge."

Isaac swallowed with grave difficulty, watching as she stared at the ceiling fan. "And then I woke up to find that you were…gone."

Taking a deep breath, Isaac glanced at the cup of tea. "Why don't we…take a walk? That way you and Asriel can calm down…"

She gave him a doubtful look but agreed as long as they could visit the duck pond. He nodded and was about to leave when she gripped his wrist. "You can watch me dress…you've already seen everything that there is."

He blushed, and sat down upon the bed complacently. As she searched through her duffel bag, he coughed and spoke. "I'm sorry that I caused an argument."

"Don't worry about it. You didn't do shit. He just needs to grow up."

He considered turning towards her but didn't like the idea of meeting her eye. "Yes, but if I had stayed put…"

"He just would have insulted and ignored you. All he cared about was screaming at me. He doesn't understand." She stared at the cream ceiling, continuing to speak as she drew a shirt up her body. "I never realized he was such a judgmental prick until today…*sigh* you think you know someone."

"I'm sure he's just being protective. I would do the same if I had a sister."

He could perfectly picture her face from her voice. "Isaac…he called you a pervert and a retard. I don't care what his intentions were...no one calls you that. Not in front of me."

She climbed over to him, sliding on her stockings as he stared at his thumbs. "Why are you acting this way? Did Sans bother you?"

Isaac's eyes leaped up to give her a surprised look, and she rolled her eyes. "He's done that before. He once made a Siberian mercenary wet himself."

This information did not do wonders for Isaac's anxiety.

"Don't worry about him, he won't do anything violent unless you pose an actual threat."

 _But I do_ , he wanted more than anything to say.

Instead, he stood and offered his hand when she slipped on her shoes. "Well, I just hope that you…can forgive Asriel…I would hate to be the cause of pain between you two."

She looked at him as though he had grown a pair of horns. "Isaac…do you have no self-respect?"

His eyes widened in confusion, and she stood, opening the door behind him and ignoring his outstretched hand. "C'mon, you don't even seem _mad_ at him! Isn't there part of you which wants to punch him?"

He followed her down the stairs, staying quiet as she ranted. It was the same as he had done whenever his mother complained about the liberal media or how politically-correct (he still didn't know what that word meant) the country was becoming. His mother's abuse had taught him that her anger demanded to be heard, not consoled.

"Don't you want to make him _regret_ saying that about you? Humiliating you in front of your only friend? Saying that you aren't _good enough_ for me!?"

She stopped on the bottom step, waiting patiently for his answer. Isaac gulped and glanced to the kitchen. Sans was nowhere to be found.

"But I…I am a pervert Chara and I…I…"

"Oh, bullshit! Because you like to wear dresses? Because you have hormones?" He looked anywhere but at her. "Isaac, you have gone through more than most people, EVER WILL. SO SCREW THEM. It's a miracle you are alive, you should celebrate being alive…by doing whatever the fuck you want. Because guess what, the world only cares about you once you do something which PISSES IT OFF."

He wanted to say something. To disagree. Maggy wouldn't let him, though. He _really_ needed to take his pills.

"C'mon, I'll show you." Chara grabbed his hand and pulled him back towards the guest room.

"Wha-w-w-wait! I don't-I-"

Chara turned a look which he did not dare disagree with, upon him. "Isaac. Stop getting in your own way. Do you want to try on one of my dresses? Some of my panties? I've got plenty of makeup."

Isaac swallowed. "I-I-"

Cain, fed up with indecision, nodded for him.

Chara's glare disappeared, replaced with a grin of excitement. As she tugged him along, Azazel leaped at the opportunity to speak, now fully regenerated.

 **She only wants to do this because she hasn't before. She doesn't care about whether you are ready. One day Isaac, she's gonna get tired of dressing up and playing with her little doll…and she's gonna throw you away.**

Isaac prayed that he was incorrect.

* * *

"Well? I wanna see!"

"I-I-I-d-d-don't…this was a-a mis-mistake…"

Chara huffed. "It's too late now Ike, now get out here and let me see."

Stepping out of the walk-in closet, Isaac kept his vision on the floor. Any second now, she would laugh and take a picture. Or worse yet, walk out with his clothes and leave him stumbling about in this mess.

But she didn't. Instead, the girl smirked. "Ah man, you are smoking."

His entire being turned red and she giggled. "Calm down, I'm just teasing…but really…you pull this off and there aren't many guys who can do that."

Isaac finally looked up, knowing that facing her was inevitable. "I th-think I should-"

"Not before you get a good look at yourself," She took his arm and half hauled him into the bathroom. One flip of the switch and Isaac was stunned by his own appearance.

He was wearing a short cut dress, orange like the sunset. The necklace she had slipped around his neck glinted, fitting his black-blue eyes. A wig, which Chara had brought specifically for this occasion, was placed on his head, giving him a mess of chestnut curls.

"I-"

"Wait! You're not done yet!" Chara removed a kit of makeup, another thing she must have brought specifically for this instance, as he had never seen her with a dab of anything on her face.

She brought the lipstick to his lips, asking him to pucker. "Is this your first dress?" She asked as she applied rouge to his cheeks.

He shook his head, and she told him to stay still. Waiting for her to finish, he spoke as she fixed his wig and removed a couple of clip on earrings. "I-I-I've been in one dress before this one…a yellow sundress…my mother bought it…thinking I would be a girl…I only wore once."

"Oh? What was the occasion?"

"She entered me in a pageant."

"Wait, WHAT? You…have been in a pageant?"

"Yes, a small town one. My father was still furious. He arrived just as I won, and everybody was clapping…until he started screaming."

"You…won?"

Again he nodded, eyes fixed upon his reflection. "They didn't know I wasn't a girl."

"Huh. I wonder…if it would still work now that you're all grown up."

His gaze shot to her. "C-C-Chara? I d-don't…"

"Aww c'mon, it'll be fun. Don't you want to walk around a bit in this?" She gestured to the get-up, and he looked over himself. Swallowing, he nodded.

"Well then, what are we waiting for?"

(*)

Isaac sat on the bench, watching as children fed the ducks. Occasionally he would glance back and forth to discover that, thankfully, no one was paying him any attention. Still sweat dribbled down the back of his neck.

Chara glanced over. "Oh calm down. No one would care even if they knew."

Isaac still fidgeted, and Chara raised an eyebrow. "This really is your first time in public dressed like this, isn't it?"

He nodded, face red as she continued. "Gaster never thought it might be therapeutic for you to dress like this once in a while?"

He looked up. "M-Mr. Gaster doesn't know."  
"Wait, what? You mean that story you just told me, about your mom dressing you up and your dad screaming at you…HE DOESN'T KNOW THAT?"

Isaac nodded, placing a finger to his lips as her incredulity drew attention.

She continued at almost the same tone. "You've been seeing him for half a decade, and he hasn't figured out that you-?" He put his hands together, eyes pleading for her to not declare his secret aloud. Sighing, she continued in a more subtle manner. "...figured out _this_ about you?"  
Isaac's eyes widened. "Is it obvious that I want to-"

"NO! But he…he's supposed to be asking you the correct questions. Helping you get better."

"It just never came up…"

"Well, then what have the two of you been talking about all this time?"

"I don't know…usually the last week, I tell him if I feel I need a larger dosage, and sometimes he asks me about my home life, and sometimes I tell him about you. Usually, he just…encourages me."

Chara rolled her eyes and turned away. "Figures. It fucking figures. The people who are good at being paid, are never the ones who deserve to be paid that much."

Isaac looked to his hands. Chara glanced at him. "What does he write down in that little notebook of his if he doesn't even care about your history? God!" Isaac gulped, watching as the desire for destruction began to fill her eyes.

"W-w-well he was your psychiatrist for a long time…d-don't you remember how he treated you?"  
Chara looked up, and her rage started to drain away. "Yeah…he asked me a lot of questions…tons... More than I wanted."

She folded her arms as Isaac frowned. "W-well then why does he tr-treat me differently?"

Chara chewed on her lip, her insight failing when it came to the mysterious psychiatrist. Then an idea sprouted, and she grabbed his hand. "C'mon, I've got a wicked idea."

Isaac didn't even bother arguing.

* * *

By the time that Isaac had returned to his normal wear, Chara appeared with two bus tickets. They walked the rest of the way to the building Gaster worked at. Despite already accepting that they were about to commit the crime of breaking and entering, Isaac was still nervous.

That's why he was so relieved when he found the door to be open. It was strange, due to this being a weekend, but he didn't question it. Perhaps Gaster had come into work and anyway, and they could just ask to look at their files, instead of rifling through drawers for them. He called out, and Chara, who was about to lob a rock at the back window, looked almost disappointed by the safer way to enter.

She called out as they entered, but received no answer. She smiled as they discovered the place to be empty. "I guess someone just forgot to lock the door…" Isaac muttered.

Chara nodded, despite clearly not believing in this theory. She opened the door to the office and Isaac looked up from the desk where the secretary normally sat. "C-Chara? Maybe we should think twice about this."

She rolled her eyes and held the door open. "Are you coming or not?"

Isaac took a deep breath and followed her inside. She closed the door behind her and ran over to the file cabinet. She moved Gaster's chair so that she could reach the top level. "Let's see…H for Hart, and D for…Dreemur."

As she removed the files, Isaac wandered over to the desk. Gaster had left his notebook out on the table. And stranger still, it had notes, which appeared to apply to him.

But Isaac had seen him three days ago, and he had been writing down in a different notebook than this one. What had happened here that Gaster would take notes about him?

"Hey, Ike!" Isaac turned, in time for his friend to fling a folder at him. "CATCH!"

Fumbling with the folder, he zipped it open at the slowest pace possible. He stared at the contents in surprise. There were dozens of notes, several, bulging files. Drawings too and police report. One of the various pages he recognized as being his second-grade evaluation.

"Uh..h-how did he get all of this…?"

Chara looked up from her own folder and frowned. "Hey! Mine just has some boring files and some information about my attempted suicide."

Isaac glanced at hers and then back at his. "Why was he keeping all this information…if he didn't c-care about it?"

His companion grabbed his file, reading aloud the message scrawled across the front of it in black sharpie. "Test Subject 213? What does _that_ mean?"

Isaac turned back to the notepad. The messages, they were all about the black pills he had been given following attacking Chara.

Chara began reading from the file as he looked through the messages. "Patient 640# (Test subject 213# for Genesis Project) suffers from a number of disorders. Wait, what Genesis Project."

Isaac didn't look up from the notepad, his face twisted by disdain. "He was testing out a new drug on me."

"W-what?"  
"My father knew. He was fine with it. He thought I was better kept in the dark. The pharmaceuticals company paid him..."

His voice had grown deep and loathing. Chara stared at him in surprise. "Uh, Isaac, are you…"

 _"Those fuckers."_

Chara stopped midway through touching his shoulder. Her body tensed. She hadn't heard that voice since he had climbed ontop of her and began murmuring about how he was going to tear her jugular off.

"Isaac…you need to calm down…" She dropped the file, taking a few steps back. All of a sudden she regretted visiting the office.

He was seething, his hands closing around the knob of a desk. _"UGH!"_ He tore the drawer lose in a sharp motion.

It flung across the office and smacked against the wall. He stomped past her, ignoring her flinching presence. _"What else has he been hiding!?"_

He yanked the file cabinet over and his seething ceased when the corpse of W.D. Gaster tumbled forward. Chara flinched again, unable to look away from the dead body. Isaac glared at the back of the bloody skull.

His breathing slowed down, and he looked up at her. "You should call the cops. And Sans. Probably your brother too…"

Chara glanced between him and the smear on the wall where someone had stuffed the body between the file cabinet and the wall. Then she nodded and removed her cellphone. Isaac turned to her, looking again like a lost little boy. His eyes were no longer dilated.

* * *

"Alright, thank you. We'll call you and your friend if we have any other questions."

Isaac nodded and moved to the limo. Chara had already been questioned, and she sat in the passenger seat, instead of the back as always.

 _She hates me. I almost let Azazel hurt her again._

He slid into the back, a troubled look apparent on his face. Chara and Sans paused their conversation and both glanced at him, then each other. He looked up and took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry I let her go through with it…" His eyes were focused on Sans's shoulder, the driver refusing to look away from the police who swamped the parking lot. "I should have known better…"

Sans sighed. "neither of you looks _traumatized..._ so it's not a very big deal. i'm more concerned about whoever killed the doc."

"Huh?"

"well, whoever it was must have brought his body there…why else would he be at his office?"

Chara glanced at Isaac, as though she considered him the guilty party. He swallowed and averted his eyes. "Yeah…I guess so.

* * *

It took too long for Isaac to fall asleep that night. Chara thought it best if they slept in separate beds. And when he finally did, he wished that he hadn't.

It was another battle. Except Chara wasn't here this time. It was just him, and he was weak and small. His body translucent, his eyes searching for remembrance of who he was. He was no longer a boy or even a demon. He was the remains of a soul.

A ghost. A memory worth forgetting.

The holy mantel protected his weakened body, but he knew that a simple one-two punch would do him in.

Blood ran out of his eye sockets, and a ball of bandages circulated his form. The entire world was of blue flesh as he moved between the four offering rooms, and collected what little items were available and helpful. As he returned to the central room, the blue flesh pulsated, challenging him.

Still feeling confused, he opened the door and hovered towards his foe. The ground shook as a boy of frozen flesh emerged and growled at the trespasser. Isaac began to attack, his tears bloody and chunky in nature. Hush pursued him relentlessly, its flesh forming and resetting to intimidate. Its tears were twice the size of his, each resembling a will-o-the-wisp in how they glowed and tracked his movements. They were the tears of everyone who ever died unloved, unremembered, unmourned.

Finally, when he had worn down the spirit of death until it melted back into the ground which it owned. A roar filled the womb and Hush's face tore up against the skin of the room, howling and screeching like nothing on earth. Dozens of orbs circled the room, hissing towards Isaac and sliding through the atoms of the walls in their attempt to track him down. Shredded souls popped out of the skin floor, spawning and screaming in their pursuit. They lacked eyes and noses, merely skeletons with skin pulled taut across them. They were puppets,

They were puppets, the golems of the christ killers, formed of the bodies. Oh, the bodies. The piles upon piles of bodies, millions of unmourned left in the snow. It would take a century to bury them all. All marionettes dancing in Satan's grand show, their strings just waiting to be cut for his delight. Each screech begged for the mercy of death.

The mantle was broke when one of them slammed into him, hissing away into nothingness. Hush screamed again, and gray light flooded from the ceiling. Again, energy got the upper hand of matter, and beams of light, belonging to long dead stars, hissed across the floor and circled in an attempt to destroy him. Isaac dodged them both, but the cloud of orbs closed in and a cruel grin stretched across Hush's visage as Isaac was silenced.

He fell to the ground, his tears losing their projection power. The roar of Hush became deafening, and then it faded into almost silence. Everything, the stumbling frostbitten carcasses, the beams of dying light, the sea of teeming bolts, it all became obsolete in that moment.

Isaac's tears dribbled down his body as he could see his entire life on repeat. It got faster and faster until his heart was pounding in his ears and he was gasping like a fish from the water. He died in that moment. His eyes used more times than eyes ever should cry for all creation, then gazed into utter blackness.

The boy in an adult's body found himself dwarfed by its darkness and unworthy of its comprehension.

He awoke, his throat filled with phlegm, and his stomach close to emptying its contents. Sleep paralysis did not give him up for the first half an hour of awakening, and for that entire period he feared that he had actually died. His entire life had been one long stretch of fear and timidity.

But this terror was far worse than anything else. God, The Devil, his mother, himself, The Lamb. None of them compared to this. To this silent hell in which we were eternally isolated in his helpless. He finally understood Azazel. He understood why human beings were sinful, unrepenting freaks, oblivious to existence until the bombs started falling. This night he learned a greater

He finally understood Azazel. He understood why human beings were sinful, unrepenting freaks, oblivious to existence until the bombs started falling. Then they ran around like chickens with their head's cut off. This night he learned a greater lesson than anyone had ever taught him before.

This night he learned a greater lesson than anyone had ever taught him before. The fact that they were all going to die, is what screwed them all up so badly. They all knew that they would one day end up in the ground, rotting away into nothingness. No, worse than nothingness. Rotting away into a meal, dinner for the next big thing.

Finally, the paralyzation passed and he crawled out of bed, struggling against the covers. He collapsed on the floor of his room and wished for nothing more than his chest. He would sell his limbs, his family, his friends, all the squalor in the world for that one rotting chest in his mother's basement. Where he never had to think of such things again. Where life was alright.

Never again, he swore would he enter get into that bed, for fear of the petrification it would lay upon him. Isaac's lungs wheezed as he struggled for breath, as though still.

He could not stop weeping for the next four hours.

* * *

 _ **Thanks for being patient guys. Only two chapters left.**_

 _ **By the way, Azazel called Asriel "Flower-Face" because of how fair his skin is, and he called Chara "Dead-Eyes" because he knows that she frequently fakes emotion.  
**_

 ** _Besides Death, what is the scariest thing that you guys can think of, real or imaginary?_**


	7. Chapter 7

_**You know what's a good song to go with this chapter? "Coffin Dancer." In fact, the entire album, Christmas Island, kind of fits this story.**_

* * *

 **Psychological evaluation files were written by Prof. W. D. Gaster, regarding Isaac Hart and Chara Dreemur, confiscated preceding the murder of W.D. Gaster:**

 _"_ _CHARA DREEMUR: Patient 645#._

 _A high-functioning sociopath, the patient is not dangerous to others unless provoked. She is a danger to herself, however, when she becomes bored. She_ _will go to extreme lengths to no longer feel unfulfilled. Patient's obsession borders on OCD with being the very best at everything. She feels the need to complete games and exercises by assuring every possible outcome._

 _This may be because she has had very little power in her life, so she obsesses over such worthless pursuits. It also may be a way to compensate for how futile life feels for her._

 _Her pessimistic attitude, that people are all just a means to an end, borders on a mixture of nihilism and narcissism. It is a dangerous combination. This is because she has trouble empathizing with others, and thus views life as though an outsider (or castaway). I believe her self-centered attitude also a result of being treated like she is nothing by her parents and first foster home._

 _Despite her egotism, the patient does not have a healthy view of herself. She despises her body, feeling thin and weak when she wishes to be impressive and manly. She also views herself as being a ruthless monster, even though she really is not. This appears to be a way to ignore the consequences of her actions by again, distancing herself from reality._

 _This explains her suicidal behavior and masochistic dreams. She believes that when she is hurt or killed, it is a good thing because she is the monster of the situation. Patient 645# needs group therapy, but I worry she might scare other patients._

 _Patient 645# harbors deep resentment towards people of all walks of life, mostly in part due to her relationship with her abusive parents. She appears to have no political, ideological, or religious bearings, instead believing all philosophies to be ultimately pointless. Although she might not admit it, she views all individuals who are not victims as those responsible for causing or allowing the pain to continue. Due to this resentment, she has trouble making friends and becomes extremely attached to those who can break her emotional barriers._

 _Exposure to other cultures and countries should enhance world view. Self-esteem needs to be boosted by select operations, lowering chance of self-destructive tendencies. Patient 645# should always be working on something constructive."_

* * *

 _"_ _ISAAC HART: Patient 640# (Test subject for 213# for Genesis Project) suffers from a number of disorders._

 _\- Schizophrenia_

 _\- Acute Paranoia_

 _\- Post-Traumatic stress disorder._

 _\- Impostor syndrome_

 _The patient lived in a very oppressive household, causing him to retreat into his own imagination when he felt trapped. Despite wanting freedom, he is also extremely scared of change. His PTSD causes him to lock onto certain locations and feel afraid of new places._

 _Since he was raised to be very pious, he believes himself to be evil for his common desires. This causes them to manifest in a predatory nature in his own imagination. It also caused him to hold onto his imaginary friends from childhood, using them as ways to express his rage, lust, etc. His father left him at a young age (possibly because of mother, possibly because of his transvestite tendencies), leaving him with massive abandonment issues._

 _Because he has seen himself as evil for so long, he has crushing self-esteem issues and believes that God hates him. According to everything which he has said about the scar on his forehead, he inflicted it upon himself after running away from home, because God had already abandoned him. As a result of his mother's abuse, his negative energy has doubled in his quarantine. The scar appears to be his way of telling the world that he is evil and proud of it. But the scar as well isolates him, causing him to become more entranced with his own imagination vs. Reality where he feels lonely._

 _Patient has homophobic, xenophobic, and transphobic tendencies as a result of his upbringing, and is generally afraid of that which is different. He is, however, far too timid to socially protest or even purposely offend anyone. He also feels too evil to judge others for what he refers to as their "decisions."_

 _The patient is obsessed with babies._ _Hatred for mother = distaste for birth? Afraid of being a father?_ _He wants to be reborn. He wants to be someone else, so he obsesses over sexual reproduction and being born. Interestingly enough, he dislikes the idea of baptism. He calls it "Disrespectful to the Lamb." Whether he is referring to Jesus Christ or the Isaac of his namesake is up to debate, but he feels as though he owes something to this figure._

 _Patient 640# is afraid of masculinity._

 _Patient 640# is afraid of femininity._

 _Patient 640# is afraid of God._

 _Patient 640# afraid of the governing bodies._

 _Patient 640# is afraid of war._

 _Patient 640# is afraid of constraint._

 _Patient 640# is afraid of martyrdom._

 _Patient 640# is afraid of being alone._ _  
_

 _Patient 640# is afraid of death._

 _Patient 640# is afraid of being considered a coward._

 _Has a skewed moral compass, as his upbringing has made him unable to distinguish what truly is and isn't "right" or "wrong." He is far more observant and reflective than most children his age, and this, combined with his morbid outlook upon life, causes him to feel miserable. He considers what most people do not. This is most likely because he has a higher IQ than most people, causing him to obsess about all the horrible things in the world, and feel that either he is a saint in a sea of apathetic sinners, or he is a fool in a society of people who have just accepted life for what it is. Both options stress him out immensely._

 _To deal with this, he enjoys activities such as acting and video games, in which he is able to pretend he is someone else. He does the same thing with his drawings, depicting himself as one of his friends, facing various morbid creatures of his own creation. Dressing as a girl, or anyone but himself. These actions make him feel better because he no longer "is" himself. When the subject is stressed, he typically allows one of the voices brought on by his schizophrenia to take limited control of his actions._

 _Patient has personified all that is primal within him, as "Azazel", an entity from which he expresses all strong emotions and animalistic desires._

 _He seems to be attracted to Patient 636#. She is a bad influence upon him. She encourages Azazel to the surface by presence alone, as she represents his temptation. The two have grown a friendship according. It is an accident waiting to happen."_

* * *

 **An email sent by Snailsarefun to the email box of** **W. D. Gaster. Found following the murder investigation of W.D. Gaster:**

 _"Mr. Gaster,_

 _My husband and I have decided to cancel our daughter's appointments you into the indefinite future. Not only are we appalled that you wish to test a new drug on someone as young as her, but we have found that your request to psychologically evaluate our son, Asriel, to be disturbing. I am unsure what Chara has told you, but our son has no psychological problems._

 _We are also in the process of returning to Europe. While we thank you for your service, we must suggest that you yourself seek therapeutic help, given your intrusive and detached state regarding the subject of testing on children._

* * *

 **The following emails were sent from DavisGarner999 to the email box of W. D. Gaster.** **Found following the murder investigation of W.D. Gaster:**

 _Tuesday- Wings, you need to immediately halt the procedures with test subject 213. I have discovered progressively violent traits in testing group A, C, and T. If this kids mental state is as fragile as you said, then you are turning him into a time bomb._

 _Friday- Gaster? Please reply and confirm the cancellation of procedures regarding Test Subject 213._

 _Saturday-You can't do this Wings. They're still children. You've got two days to mop up this mess you made before I turn you in. Got it?_

* * *

 ** _Only one chapter left, and it is going to be a doozy._**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

* * *

It took a long shower to make Isaac feel alive again. The feeling of numbness faded as the warm water cascaded across his naked body, cleaning each and every scar which his clothes normally hid. Still, he lay in the water, unwilling to exit the shower.

That is until Chara knocked on the door and asked for him to finish up. Her voice roused him from his terror.

"O-Okay…I'll be out soon."

He stood, moving to the mirror and staring into his pupils, the portals to his own skull. **If you don't get them first, they're going to get you.**

He shook his head, almost whimpering at the rage which this refusal instilled in Azazel. The image in the mirror was not him. It had his scars, his strange eyes, and his lack of hair. But it was smiling in a way that was not him.

And it was clutching a gun, like a mother might clutch her child after he won a race.

He almost damaged the door scrambling out of the room and into the hall. There was screeching in his mind, horrible, deafening cries. They were dying, they were dying or else they meant to do likewise to him. To crush what little consciousness he possessed.

Chara stopped him. Why did she have to do that? Why could she just let him run off and cry like everybody else did?

"What's the matter?"

He was about to collapse, he was in such tears. "Fre-Fre-fresh air…I n-n-need fresh air."

She searched his eyes. "Okay, I'm gonna get you your medicine, and then we are going to talk…okay?"

He nodded, and followed her downstairs, into the kitchen. As he sat on one of the counter chairs, she retrieved his pills from the cabinet. It never occurred to Isaac that he had not told her where he kept his pills, and he didn't even bring up the black pills which he kept in his room. He didn't care, though.

He wasn't going to ingest those pills. Not now, not ever. They were poison, packaged by the agents of Greed. The ones who didn't care whether he lived or died. And he wasn't going back into his room. That place where the walls were scratching to grip him and drag him to hell, cold and lifeless.

As his breathing pattern slowed, Chara returned with a cup of tea and the pills. Isaac took them both, and, as he stared at flower pattern on the teacup, he asked if they could speak on the back porch.

"Of course."

It was then that her cellphone started to ring. She flipped it open and frowned. "Mom?"

Even with the phone pressed tightly to Chara's ear, Isaac could hear the screaming. "woah, woah, claim down mom! What's wrong?"

Isaac couldn't sit here a moment longer. He stood and headed for the back door, forgetting the drugs which he had longed for moments ago.

Chara called after him, but he couldn't hear. He needed fresh air. He needed to hear bird song. He needed to stare at the sun and know that at least there was something beautiful left.

But it was overcast. There was no sun today. And he had the awful feeling that there never again would be one. As the shivers ran down his spine, and tears returned to his eyes, he tried, more desperately than he had ever tried anything (even to escape from reality) to remember the last time he had seen the sun.

"I know what you did."

His fear of death and mental dismemberment came to halt, and Isaac turned towards Asriel. There was a sick grin across the young teen's face. The kind of callous enjoyment which only torturers were supposed to have.

"I saw you come home early last morning. Strolling in, covered in blood like an idiot. I thought you had just gotten yourself into a fight. But this morning, when I heard you _wailing in your room_ …I figured it out."

The younger boy stepped closer, his grin disappearing and replaced with a vengeful snarl. "You felt guilty because you killed that doctor."

"N-No! I-I-I-"

"Save it!"

Isaac grew silent, unwilling to piss the child off any more than he already had. He was too busy looking at his hands, and remembering the blood. _N-No, I d-didn't…I d-didn't…_

It was then he remembered why he had wanted to speak with Chara. What he had been going on a walk for. To try and sort out whether to admit to his crime or just commit suicide.

"You can tell it to the police when they get here."

Isaac looked up, a panicked look in his eye. "N-No! P-Please…n-n-n-""

"No? I already called them. They are going to lock you away for a long time. That's what you get, you idiot."

Isaac fell to his knees, clutching his eyes with his hands. He had no more tears he could shed. He was defeated. Senseless.

"You are _never_ going to be able to hurt Chara again."

It was then, that Isaac stopped. Not snapped. Not broke. He simply stopped being. All the sadness, all the fear, it all turned quickly into the most terrible rage. His hands drew blood from his forehead, tearing at his own eyebrows.

 **Fine. That's the way you want it, pretty boy?**

Isaac screamed and launched upon his foe. He pinned Asriel to the ground easily and smiled.

 **"Heheheheheheeheheh…so I'm the idiot? How about you, huh? How about the brat who just confronted a known murderer and agitated him?"** Asriel's eyes were wide with terror. It brought joy to Azazel.

"I-I-I-I-I-"

 **"'I-I-I can't speak all of a sudden!' Hehehehe, whose stuttering now, fucker?"**

"P-P-Please…please…l-leave m-me a-"

 **"Alone? Oh, now you want to be alone? C'mon, where's the tough guy, the cocky one who was just so sure that he would have his baby sister with him forever and ever?"**

"Please…" Azazel burst out laughing when his victim started sobbing.

 **"Please…WHAT? See now you're polite when there's a crazed lunatic about to crush your trachea, now all of a sudden it's 'PLEASE' and 'LEAVE ME ALONE'! AHAHAHAHAA! Irony is cruel, isn't it?"**

He reached forward, and gripped the child's jaw, moving it up and down as again he mocked his victim with a high falsetto. **"'Chara, don't fuck that guy, he's retarded, and he makes me feel weird, cause secretly, I'm an effeminate faggot, and I'm trying to compensate for never being able to live up to my big, muscular daddy!' I mean, c'mon! I might as well chop off my dick here and now, you're so spineless that your never gonna use it anyway. And this is coming from the she-male who dresses like Barbie. At least Ike would never allow himself to assist your sister in committing suicide."**

Asriel didn't even fight back and knew better than to scream for help. He just sobbed, struggling for breath. **"'Please stay best friend's with me forever, so that we can dance through all the fields of daisies in the world! I know, instead of hiding behind the fat bastard who's paid to protect my royal ass until the pigs show up, I'm gonna be a big boy and confront the _psychopathic murderer,_ all…by..myself.'"**

The monster shuffled to move his foot into position to do just as he had threatened. Crush Asriel's windpipe.

 _"Get off of him."_

Azazel looked up and grinned. **"I was wondering when you might show up."**

He glanced back down at the half-conscious Asriel. Gripping his yellow and green sweater, the demon tossed him back and addressed him like a kindergarten teacher. **"Now stay right there Daisy-Face, the human beings with actual penises are going to talk."** His smile disappeared. **"Move an inch, and I'll make you watch as I mess up your sister, understood?"**

Asriel nodded like a robot, and his assaulter turned to addressed the extremely pissed off body guard. **"Walk away little man. This is not one fight you want to have."**

"sorry, i like slacking off as much as the next guy…but i hate unemployment worst."

 **"So…how long did it take your little brain to figure out who killed dear old Dr. G?"**

"truth be told, i never was too good at detective novels."

 **"Ah, that's a shame. If you were, maybe you and your brother would know who your parents were, huh?"**

Sans's black eyes narrowed, and he stepped closer. _"How did you-"_

 **"Oh c'mon, after you threatened Ike, I did a little research. And by research, I mean that I got Chara to tell me everything she knew about you. Which, as it turns out, is a LOT. Her tits and ass are a little on the short side, but damn if that girl isn't perceptive."**

Sans faltered. **"I wonder how she figured out that you had the hots for her mother? Was it the cheesy jokes, or did she just catch you in the middle of a five fingered shuffle and you were muttering the whore's name?"**

The bodyguard snapped out his tranquilizer gun and his grin became strained. "you've got five seconds to calm down, and bring back isaac, buddy."

 **"Wow, you're dumber than I thought."**

Azazel was pretty sure that his enemy actually growled. Smirking, he took a step closer and raised his hands when Sans raised the barrel of the gun. **"I mean, I knew you were short and lethargic. But I didn't think you were stupid too."**

 _"Take a step back. Right now."_

Azazel did as commanded. **"Isaac is dead, buddy. He was buried the moment that this idiot-** " He jerked a thumb in the direction of the quivering Asriel. **"-decided it would be a fun idea to throw it in his face, that he was never going to see his only friend again."**

Realization dawned on Sans, and Azazel nodded along to the thoughts which were currently moving through the body guard's skull. **"That's right. You watched 'Psycho' didn't you? You remember the part where the dominant piece of the split personality…the dead mother…takes over during a moment of incredible stress. Little Norman Baits just…ceases to be. He is replaced...heh. REPLACED BY ME!"**

Sans was about to fire, Azazel could tell. The scream had startled him enough. However, the scream had done exactly what Azazel had wanted it to.

It attracted attention.

Chara opened the back door and spoke as she kept her eyes on the porch until she reached the stairs. "Isaac, I'm sorry I-"

Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open.

Azazel gave her a wink, and when Sans glanced her way, the demon pounced. He punched the bodyguard in the stomach and kneed him in the face. Sans fell to the ground, now truly resembling a trash bag. Perhaps one with a dead body stashed in it, for the blood which dribbled out of his lips.

 **"I told you, you numbskull. I told you to walk way."**

He was about to stab the piece of gravel he held into his opponent's skull, a dart stabbed into his back. He shuddered and then turned his face towards his shooter. Chara was panting and staring at him, her eyes bugged with fear.

 **"Heheh…heh…you…"** He closed his eyes, and got to his feet, swaying as he stumbled towards her. She fired again, jumping up the steps to avoid his arms. This dart stabbed him in the neck, drawing blood. He gripped the banister off the back porch steps, giggling as he yanked out the dart.

Slowly, he raised his head and locked his gaze with her. **"You don't think I had the foresight to develop an immunity to this toxin after One-Eye first took me out?"**

Horror flooded Chara's face, and Azazel grinned as he stalked up the stairs. **"Let's play a hide and seek. You know the rules. I'll count…10…9...8…"**

Chara tore open the door and sprinted inside. Azazel laughed and strolled in after her. **"…6…5…"**

(0)

Chara hid in the closet of the third-floor bedroom, the one belonging to Isaac's father. She could hear him downstairs. She could hear him getting closer by the second. His taunting echoed throughout the empty house.

 **"It's not so fun when someone else is doing it, is it?"**

She moved away from the door, as the sound of footsteps drew closer. _He's coming up the stairs. He's coming up the stairs already._

 **"Oh sure, it's fun to break into places. It's fun to burn stuff. To do drugs. To watch your boy-toy go crazy and beat the shit of someone. Maybe even to feel him CHOKE you a little. But when he goes completely loony and starts hurting people, where's the badass girl who doesn't give a shit? Huh? I guess that was an act because now you're the scared one, now YOU are the one about to cry…"**

Chara pressed herself against the back of the walk-in closet, watching as a form moved into the room. That horrible grating voice, it was the opposite of Isaac's warm stutter. It sounded like nails on a chalkboard and made her heart do want to escape her chest and be anywhere but here.

 **"That's the problem with folks like you…you never realize until it's far too late…just how very small you are. Nature always creates a bigger, nastier predator, to keep everything in order. I've done things that you can't dream of Little Angel."**

Her breath caught when the form stopped in front of the closet door. **"…I know my place, I know that one day someone will replace me…"**

There was a call from downstairs, it sounded like an officer. "Son, drop the weapon which you are currently holding and come to the bottom of the stairs with your hands up. No one needs to get hurt today, but we have the building surrounded."

The creature which was not Isaac cursed, and peered in-between the wood shudders. He was staring right at her. He knew exactly where she was.

 **"See you later…little angel."**

She let out her breath as he stalked out into the hall. Inch by inch, she crept to the door and inched it open. Peering outside, she asserted that the room was empty, and opened it a whole foot. Her hand continued to clasp the knob so as to bring the door closed in case he rushed her.

A hand closed around her shoulder, and she screamed. Chara swung her hand to stun her assailant with a punch, but it was stopped by a force of greater strength. A hand, thinner and bonier than Isaac's own.

A female officer looked her up and down, and sympathy flooded her light blue eyes. Had Chara been in her normal state, she would have deduced that the woman had a child of her own.

"Whoa, whoa, honey, calm down. It's alright, you're safe now."

The teen broke down crying and fell into the officer. "Hey, hey! It's alright. I'm not gonna let him hurt you, okay?"

Chara reluctantly pulled her head away, not the least bit embarrassed as she usually would have been. She was too worn out. Too panicked to act normal.

The woman brought her into the hall, her gun out and ready. Chara stared at it with wet eyes and spoke in a croak. "Can't you use a taser?"

The officer chuckled. "Those things aren't as useful as you'd like to think. When someone bull runs you, the most effective way to protect yourself and others is to shoot them."

"B-but in the leg right?"

Chara received no response this time and glanced behind them as they descended the staircase.

"This guy, he's your friend right?" The officer asked as she led Chara down the stairs.

"Y-yes…we've been fr-friends for years."

The woman unclipped her taser and handed it to Chara. "There you go."

As they reached the second floor, she could see that there were two other officers, one by the back door. One beckoned another, and she heard "He went this way!" before the second officer joined the first outside.

The woman smiled in relief and moved much more quickly. "Don't worry, honey okay, we're going to get you and your brother to the hospital, okay?"

Chara nodded as they moved toward the door. Then a hand clapped over her mouth, and a knife swung around her side and embedded in the officer's back. She let out a gurgle, and Chara thrashed against the iron grip which held her, watching as the blood spread.

 **"C'mon little angel…isn't this what you wanted? To watch people _pay_?"**

Chara held back tears and aimed the taser at her captor. **"Press that trigger, and your best friend is going to be locked away for the rest of his years. Do you really want to do that?"**

He bit her ear, forcing her to squirm harder against his bruising grip. With the hand which was not clasped over her mouth and stifling her nose, he removed the taser gun and tossed it to the ground. The hot feeling of blood dribbling down the side of her face filled her senses, and she began to struggle for breath.

 **"It's okay little angel. I'm not going to let Satan take you from me. Not now. Not ever."** He turned her towards the hall.

 **"There's a car on the other side of the orchid. You and me, we're going to be together forever…I'll bring you all over the world…no one will catch us after we hide for a couple years. I know the perfect place. You'll struggle first, but with enough _punishment,_ even a cunt like will learn your pla-"**

Electricity coursed through Azazel, cutting off his vacation plans. Some of it pulsed into Chara, and she jerked against his stunned form. The murderer collapsed, and she found herself without support. Chara toppled to the ground beside her would-be captor and stared at the twitching grin which spread across his face.

Again he was shocked, and again, and again. He only shrieked the final time, a horrible, blood-curdling sound, the same sound a lamb makes while being slaughtered.

When he spoke, it startled her into leaping to her feet, out of choking range. His voice was now broken, a writhing dismemberment of the rage released before. It was a sound worse than his bleating, something no human should be exposed to.

 **"Finally…God finally had the balls to smite me…"**

Then his eyes closed and he lay motionless. Chara raised her vision and found Isaac's father standing over him. He dropped the taser and cradled his son's head in an attempt to relieve the overflowing regret. He fell to his knees, sobbing and bemoaning. He was a sinner repenting to the altar of his unconscious son.

It brought her over the edge. She went completely numb, unable to look at Isaac, or his father, or the corpse of the woman who had almost saved her. She kept her eyes on the ground as officers brought her outside.

There was nothing to say. The monsters had been killed. Isaac Beldam was dead. And so was Chara Dreemur.

 **(0)**

 **(0)**

 **(0)**

 **(0)**

 **(0)**

 **Neutral ending** :

"What's the matter?"

He was about to collapse, he was in such tears. "Fre-Fre-fresh air…I n-n-need fresh air."

She searched his eyes. "Okay, I'm gonna get you your medicine, and then we are going to talk…okay?"

He shook his head. "Can I-I just talk to you…I'll take my pills later."

She stared at him for a long moment and then nodded.

Although her expression grew from confusion to horror as he described what he had done, and although she had not stopped the police from handcuffing him and placing him in a car, Chara was still there to hold him and tell him that everything would be alright. They were after all best friends. The bipolar sociopath and the manic-depressive schizophrenic.

 **(0)**

Isaac looked up from the papers and smiled when he saw her. It had been three years. He had not grown in the least. Yet, he was clearly older. More worn, more skeletal.

The heavily medicated girl beside him looked up, her eyes wide. When she spotted Chara, she tugged at Isaac's gown, shrinking behind him. Isaac whispered something to her and stood up, loping over to his old friend.

"It's good to see you."

She looked him up and down and pulled him into an embrace. He stared at her in startled silence, not protesting and not completing the hug. Slowly he ran a hand through her hair as he had once done. She shuddered and he pulled her away, staring into her wet eyes.

"Hey, hey what's the matter? We won, the bad guy has been locked up. The world is safe again. You should be happy. Remember, 'you should celebrate being alive…by doing whatever the fuck you want.' So why…why are you crying?"

She shoved him away. "You're not the villain Isaac! You're the victim! Those…bastards...they messed with your head. They abandoned you when you needed help, REAL HELP…" Her anger was attracting attention but she continued unfaltering. "They messed with your head and then they refused to pay for fixing it. You are not the bad guy, THEY ARE! They are selfish, lazy, hateful, bastards who destroyed you! They deserve to rot, they deserve to rot in hell for what they did to you!"

Isaac was the only one undisturbed by this train of thought and the hate which came with it. He waited until she was seething and sobbing, ready to collapse, before speaking.

"No, they don't."

She stared at him like he had somehow gone even madder. Then he reached out and took her hand. "Chara, the world is full of evil people. But even evil people don't deserve to burn. Evil people are still people…and all people are…is really, really smart animals. They're scared and angry, and they want to make their mark on the world, and just like you…they have trouble empathizing with other people."

She stared at the floor, still crying and not really listening. "They want things, and they don't see the point in not getting what they want. You can get money, power, and you can make the world a better place…" He raised her chin and she stared not at his eyes, but at his scar, which by this point, had almost faded into nothing. "But no matter what you do Chara…you can't make it perfect. No one can. We have to settle for second best. And yes…that really fucking sucks…but it's not that we thought the world was perfect when we were little kids…it's that we didn't care. It's that we had no doubt in our minds that we were going to be the next astronauts and presidents."

Again she embraced him, and this time, he held her. It was her turn to cry and his turn to dry tears.

As he soothed her, Isaac spoke in a small voice. "Don't worry Angel. Nothing lasts forever…not even this."

He was right. He would just never have been able to guess that when he was finally allowed to leave the institution, Chara would not be waiting for him, but instead, buried in the ground. Although her grave was hundreds of miles away, and he had very little money to speak of, the moment he had enough for a plane ticket, he took the opportunity. When he got to the graveyard where she lay, he found Asriel, in a suit, holding a bouquet of yellow flowers and apologizing to the dead girl. The new king was flanked by two bodyguards.

Sans was nowhere to be seen, probably retired.

Isaac watched from far away, waiting for Asriel to finish. When the king had finally stood, wiped his face and moved to the limousine, Isaac approached the grave. He placed the picture of one of his alter ego's holding up Krampus's Head. The same which she had first asked about.

It put a smile on his face to remember it.

Then he told her about his day and apologized for his head being so fucked up and for him not being there to save her from herself. Then, he stood, and turned away.

He thought about her often and visited her grave every year on her birthday, always with a new picture for her. Well, that is, until the day that he was hospitalized for heart disease. He told his nurse that he was full of regrets, but he most regretted not being able to give her one last picture.

She found that sweet and sad. Chara would have found it hilarious. The knowledge of her reaction put a smile on his face that did not leave until rigor mortis set in.

 **(0)**

 **(0)**

 **(0)**

 **(0)**

 **(0)**

 **(0)**

 **Pacifist ending:**

Asriel couldn't listen to the wailing any longer. Yes, he hated the boy with a vengeance. But he couldn't listen to that level of misery. How Chara could sleep through it, he didn't know. But she had always been a deep sleeper, and recently he had been having decided trouble falling asleep.

Finally, he slipped out of bed and tread over to the room. He rapped once on the door, hoping the boy would ignore him.  
"C-Come i-i-in…"

There was another sob. A heart wrenching one. Asriel stepped inside and found his arch nemesis curled up in a fetal position, crying harder than he had ever seen him cry before.

He was chanting to himself. Repeating the same set of words over and over, as though they might expel the evil inside of him. The evil which clung to everything he knew and loved.

As the younger teen got closer, he discovered that the boy was repeating the words of what sounded like a hymn, only without any sense of rhythm.

"…when peace like a river…attendeth my way…"

"Isaac?"

"When sorrows like sea billows roll…" The mentally disturbed boy choked down a sob. "Whatever my lot…Thou hast taught me to know…"

"Isaac!"

"It is well…it is well…it is well within my so…so..soul…" He broke into unintelligible sobs, and Asriel fell to one knee, stroking his back.

"Whoa, whoa, calm down buddy. What's the matter?" Asriel bent on one knee and rubbed Isaac's back.

The boy sniffed and shuddered. "…there's too much."

"Too much of what?"

"Too much to tell. Too many problems. I'm not suited for life. I'm not suited for being hurt over and over again and doing the same thing over and over again. I can't live that way Asriel…" Asriel felt his throat tighten. "…but I don't want to die. I can't keep living, but I don't want to keep dying…"

"Guys? What's the matter?"

Asriel looked up to find his sister rubbing her eye. "I heard yelling and…"

She spoke with a weary tone. "I heard yelling and…"

She stopped when she saw Isaac, and he didn't bother to meet her eye. "I'm sorry Chara, I'm too weak. I'm not strong enough to be a man, and I'm not a little boy anymore. I'm not a hero. I'm a monster. I killed him. I killed Gaster. I killed him, and now…I'm broken…" Tears came to his eyes again as he stared at the carpet. "I'm not anything which deserves someone like you."

Chara ran over, hushing Isaac and clutching his head. She sounded like a mother. Asriel was horrified, he was staring at the unstable teen and wondering why his sister wasn't scared.

Then she said it. And he understood. He understood why she had chosen him to have sex with. Why she had been so defensive.

"You are something Isaac…you're not who your mom wanted you to be, you're not who your dad wanted to be. And you're not what the voices in your head want you to be. You're my friend. Isaac…you're the only one who understands me…you're the only reason that I…"

She started breaking down, and Asriel stared in morbid fascination as tears rolled down her cheeks. "It's okay, you're going to be okay, we're going to be okay…you're going to get the help you need, and you are going to teach me how to draw, and I'm going to introduce you to my parents dressed as a girl, and you and me…you and me…"

She couldn't speak anymore. She just sobbed into him, and he did likewise.

Staring at them, Asriel felt all his rage just...shed from his body. How could he wish suffering on someone so damaged? So, he did his best to help. He visited alongside Chara the traumatized boy and found himself astonished by how quickly Isaac was recovering. After only a year, Isaac was allowed limited freedom, and in only 18 months, he was considered "stable" and given pills which made him significantly happier. He moved to Asriel and Chara's home country, living in a small cottage close by to their mansion. None of the three disturbed children would know how close to disaster they came. But Asriel would come to be grateful for his eventual brother in law.

Not Chara, Asriel, Isaac, or even Sans would know how close they all came to disaster. But Asriel would come to know what it was like to have a brother in law who could always offer a smile. And Isaac would come to know what it was to have a brother.

* * *

 ** _The name of the hymn Isaac is singing, is "It is Well with My Soul."_**

 ** _I figured it was appropriate for the situation._**

 ** _This is it, guys. Thanks for your support. Tell me which ending is your favorite._**


	9. Chapter 9

_**I know that some people were disappointed by the ending of this story and having looked at it, I decided that I should edit and add the Pacifist version of events and as well, change the way that the Neutral Ending goes. So I've updated Chapter 8 to include the pacifist ending for the story and a lot more about the Neutral Ending. I hope you enjoy it.**_


End file.
